Loss is the only guarantee in life.

Loss is the only guarantee in life. The author explores loss, ranging from heartbreak to death. Each of the characters in Benediction deals with loss in some way.

Most prominent is the loss surrounding Dad. Dad will soon lose his life to cancer. When Dad passes away, Mary will lose her husband, while Lorraine will lose her father. Dad feels a sense of loss over the falling out he had with Frank years before, and feels a sense of loss that he will not be able to see Frank to make things right before he dies. Mary also comes to feel a sense of loss as she is unable to find Frank to arrange a reconciliation before Dad dies. Family loyalty, unchallenged love, and total acceptance are not guarantees in the lives of the Lewis family, but loss abounds.

Berta...