What Cannot Be Lost

An unexpected combination of biblical truth and literary commentary, "What Cannot Be Lost" exposes the rawness of loss and longing while, at the same time, applying the only effective salve. Simply put, it’s one of the most honest books on grief I’ve ever read.

The things that happen to us in life—whether things of gain or loss—become meaningful through the stories we tell about those things. The story Melissa Zaldivar tells in these pages finds meaning through the frame of the beautiful stories she has immersed herself in: the stories of Louisa May Alcott, the stories of people she knows and loves, and the truest and best stories of all—those of the Bible. "What Cannot Be Lost" is a beautiful testimony to the power good stories have to make our lives better, even (or especially) when we face great loss.

Good writing is observation, and Melissa Zaldivar does it best. She’s careful with these tender stories of loss and wise in showing how they weave together. What Cannot Be Lost is a stunning book for every heart that aches to make sense of grief and longs to believe in a beautiful future.

As a man who’s had his world fall apart in a single day, I can attest to the all-sufficient God, who heals and refills a broken heart and provides his all-sufficient love in the most creative of ways. God was certainly creative in how he brought Melissa Zaldivar into my life. In my darkest season, she helped me see God’s all-sufficient love and helped me look for God in the midst of my mess. Allow her to do the same for you.

"What Cannot Be Lost" is a masterpiece of tears, belief, and the boring grit of the daily. Zaldivar’s writing, somehow both panoramic and immediately accessible, is the best kind of weird and the most captivating sort of ordinary. Here, the plain truth is a comfort. Here, grief coexists with delight. Here, Jesus and Taylor Swift whisper from the same page, and we find ourselves more human and closer to God. You will love this book.

"What Cannot Be Lost" was a labor of love for Melissa, putting words to grief. It is a kind and gentle companion, full of the type of empathy that can only rise up out of walking through deep loss and being comforted by the Man of Sorrows himself. With honesty, Melissa kindly nudges those walking through grief to collapse into the strong arms of Jesus and find belonging and comfort, even in the pit.

Just as Melissa guides tourists through Louisa May Alcott’s historic home in Massachusetts, she gently leads us through the shadowy corners of our own grief, ever reminding us that we are never alone. There is a tremendous depth of comfort in Melissa’s words that can only come from a soul who has experienced profound loss; each chapter is a quilt to wrap around a weary heart. "What Cannot Be Lost" is a profound gift for any soul feeling the terrible sting of grief.

When grief wraps itself around the goodness in our life, we often feel suffocated by senselessness. Melissa Zaldivar has an uncommon way of giving words to the unspeakable parts of our lives, and by doing so, she frees us to breathe again. This is a book we need.

It is a beautiful thing to form a friendship with an author from another time and find comfort in their story. Hand in hand with the century-distant Louisa May Alcott, Melissa Zaldivar walks through rooms of grief and promise to find what cannot be lost in the sad days and strange nights of grief. Beautifully told and heartfelt, this book bears witness to a friendship and what it means to give voice to our grief.

I read What Cannot Be Lost with tears running down my cheeks. It helped me release the stored-up grief in my soul as I found comfort and a companion in Melissa’s honest reflections on loss. When sorrows threaten to overwhelm us, when death of any kind casts a shadow on our lives, What Cannot Be Lost is the reminder we all need to know that we have a God who stays with us in our weeping and who loves us to—and even beyond—the end.

From the creaky floorboards of Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House, Melissa Zaldivar coaxes forth a story both tender and true. The very best of tour guides, Melissa infuses history with contemporary relevance and leaves us feeling as though we’ve come to know Louisa’s heart like a friend’s. "What Cannot Be Lost" reminds us that loss will touch us all; but in the midst of sorrow, divine Love endures with a beauty that death and grief cannot destroy.

Divisive times call for decisive messages, and I believe Melissa has such a message within her. If there’s something we can all agree on in this post-pandemic period, it’s that our lives have been annotated by grief during this time. In every margin, we read the story of hopes dashed, dreams deferred, and loves lost. In these times, we turn to the things that comfort us the most, and for millions of people, the work of Louisa May Alcott tucks us into our beds and nurses us back to health. What better guide could we have than Melissa? A bridge between our sisters in Orchard House and modern grief, she is the perfect person, with her own insights on grief and grace, to thread the needle that begins the painstaking work of mending our hearts. These stories are timeless for a reason, and she knows them intimately. "What Cannot Be Lost" is so, so, so deeply needed after this past year.