This is one of a small but growing number of books on the market telling the story of how people cope with the news that their unborn child has a potentially fatal diagnosis. 20 weeks into pregnancy, a short, 'impersonal' phone call, informed Lizzie Grayson that her daughter had Trisomy 18 (also known as Edwards syndrome). She relates her journey from that point to, and beyond, the further grief of stillbirth at 41 weeks.
Able to be read in a couple of hours, it's told with an infectious enthusiasm for God's word. An appendix on 'Salvation' is for those who want to know how to follow Christ. This reviewer's only concern is that, in a second appendix, 'For those who may have terminated a pregnancy', she writes 'your unborn child is safe in heaven'. Does Scripture allow us that certainty?
Lizzie's account is a hugely inspiring testimony of how repeated, deliberate decisions to praise God, no matter what the circumstances, lead to peace and joy. Every Christian should read it, and it could be given to those curious to know what (who!) can give us such astonishing strength.
Karen Palmer is a specialty psychiatrist in Glasgow.