How reading can support well-being after loss—and an invitation to our FREE virtual book club + support group.
We begin with 30 minutes of supportive sharing, followed by a discussion of our monthly book.
Share or simply listen—you’re welcome either way.
After losing someone to suicide, even ordinary days can feel unfamiliar. Your thoughts may return to unanswered questions. Conversations can feel exhausting. Sometimes, you want company without having to explain everything you’re carrying.
You may also find yourself longing for something that belongs just to you—a quiet pleasure, a little curiosity, a reason to look forward to an evening.
A good book can be one place to begin.
Reading doesn’t erase grief. But a story can offer moments of comfort, a different perspective, and room to experience something beyond the pain of loss.
That’s why I created Between the Pages—a FREE virtual book club for women who have lost a loved one to suicide. First 30 minutes serve as a support group.
Why a Good Story Can Be Good for Us
Reading is an active experience for the brain. As we follow a story, we imagine unfamiliar places, interpret emotions, remember details, and consider perspectives beyond our own.
Research suggests these experiences can offer benefits. A 2024 analysis of 70 experiments found small benefits from reading fiction, particularly in understanding other people’s thoughts and feelings.
Research into community reading programs also suggests that reading for pleasure can support well-being through enjoyment, meaningful conversation, and social connection. While these findings don’t establish reading as a treatment for grief, they help explain why a book—and people to share it with—can become a source of comfort.
Here are some of the possibilities reading offers:
A place to rest your attention.
Following a story can offer a welcome pause from everyday worries and the questions that circle after loss. For a few pages, you have somewhere else to place your attention. You’re allowed that breathing room.
A chance to explore different perspectives.
As we get to know characters, we consider their feelings, motivations, and choices. Stories invite us to look at life through someone else’s eyes and discover experiences beyond our own.
A gentle return to curiosity.
Grief can make the future feel difficult to imagine. Wondering what happens in the next chapter can offer a small opportunity to experience interest and anticipation again.
Permission to experience enjoyment.
You might laugh at a conversation, fall in love with a setting, or feel moved by an unexpected kindness. Those moments can exist alongside missing your person. Enjoying a story does not diminish your love.
Something to connect over.
A shared book gives us a starting point for conversation. We can talk about a character’s choices, a passage that stayed with us, or something that made us smile. Connection doesn’t always have to begin with retelling the hardest parts of our lives.
If concentrating feels difficult, start small. Read a few pages, listen to an audiobook, or take a break. This is an invitation, not another demand.
Our Books Won’t Be About Grief
Between the Pages offers space to explore life beyond conversations about loss.
Our books won’t be about grief. We’ll explore stories of kindness, courage, friendship, adventure, and possibility—with room for thoughtful conversation and lighter moments.
You don’t have to read about grief to find something meaningful in a story. Sometimes, what you need is an engaging character, an unfamiliar world, or a reminder that life still holds experiences you haven’t had yet.
We can honor the people we love while making room for curiosity, laughter, and enjoyment.
More Than a Book Club
As a fellow survivor of suicide loss and the founder of Healing After Suicide, I know how meaningful it can be to spend time with people who understand—without needing to explain why some days are harder than others.
The first 30 minutes of each gathering will be a support group. We’ll have space to check in, share what’s on our hearts, and offer understanding to one another.
You can share as much or as little as feels comfortable. Simply listening is always welcome.
Then we’ll move into our book discussion, exploring memorable characters, favorite passages, unexpected moments, and the questions the story brings up.
You don’t need to finish the book, prepare thoughtful answers, or talk about your loss to belong here. Come for support, conversation, companionship, or a little of each.
How It Works
When: The second Sunday of each month at 7:30 PM Eastern Time.
Where: Live on Zoom—join from the comfort of home.
Format: A 30-minute support group, followed by our book discussion.
Cost: FREE to attend. Obtain your own copy of each book through your library, bookstore, or audiobook service.
Hosted by: Jayne Madigan, founder of Healing After Suicide and a fellow survivor of suicide loss.
Read or listen at your own pace. You’re welcome even if you haven’t finished—or started—the book.
Our First Gathering
Sunday, December 13, 2026 | 7:30 - 8:45 PM EST
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
When a stranger named Theo arrives in the small Southern city of Golden, he discovers a collection of pencil portraits hanging in a local coffeehouse. He buys them one by one and gives each portrait to the person it depicts. In return, he asks to hear their story.
These simple exchanges open the door to unexpected friendships and meaningful connection.
For our first discussion, we’ll talk about the moments that stayed with us, what it feels like to be truly seen, and how small acts of kindness can help us feel less alone.
Come ready to share or simply listen.
A Place for You, Exactly as You Are
If you’ve been looking for a place where you can feel understood, meet other women, and enjoy a good story, I hope you’ll join us.
Bring your book, a cup of something comforting, and yourself—exactly as you are.
Between the Pages is FREE to attend, but registration is required each month so I can plan accordingly. Registration closes the day before each gathering. Your Zoom link will be emailed before the meeting.
Register for Between the Pages and join us on December 13.
There is room for the love and grief we carry—and for the stories, friendships, and possibilities still ahead.
Research referenced: Cognitive Effects and Correlates of Reading Fiction: Two Preregistered Multilevel Meta-Analyses(2024) and “The Book’s a Conversation Starter”: A Realist Exploration of the Salutogenic Potential of Reading for Pleasure (2024).
About the Author
Jayne Madigan is the Founder of Healing After Suicide, Author, Speaker, and Retreat Facilitator. Having navigated the journey of suicide loss for more than 34 years after experiencing multiple suicide losses in her own life, Jayne has dedicated her work to helping suicide loss survivors move from surviving to healing.
Through her writing, workshops, retreats, and support programs, she helps survivors honor their grief, reconnect with hope, and discover that healing is possible—even after profound loss.