A Heart That Works: THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER as heard on R4's Desert Island Discs

Name: A Heart That Works: THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER as heard on R4's Desert Island Discs
Rating: 7.98 (47 reviews)
ISBN: 9781954118560

By Rob Delaney

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New York Times Bestseller * New Yorker Best Books of 2022 * Entertainment Weekly Best Books of 2022 * USA Today Best Books of 2022 * Time 100 Must-Read Books of 2022 * Mother Jones Books We Needed in 2022 * People Fall Must Read * 2022 BuzzFeed Fall Reading Pick * New York Post Best Books of 2022 * New York Times Editors' Choice

This is the story of what happens when you lose a child, and everything you discover about life in the process, by the star of the Amazon Prime series Catastrophe.

In 2018, Rob Delaney's two-year-old son, Henry, died of a brain tumor. A Heart That Works is Delaney's intimate, unflinching, and at times fiercely funny exploration of Henry's beautiful, bright life and the devastation of his loss--from the harrowing illness to the vivid, bodily impact of grief and the blind, furious rage that followed through to the forceful, unstoppable love that remains. In the madness of his grief, Delaney grapples with the fragile miracle of life, the mysteries of death, and the question of purpose for those left behind.

Profound, painful, full of emotion, and bracingly honest, Delaney's memoir offers solace to those who have faced devastation and shows us how grace may appear even in the darkest times.

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Published Oct 31, 2023

192 pages

Average rating: 7.98

47 RATINGS

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Sarah loves non-fiction

May 24, 2026

10/10 stars

I recommend listening to this as an audio book. It is an amazing story of grief, love and loss of a child.

Jessi

Oct 08, 2025

10/10 stars

I don’t think I’ve ever fully ugly cried from a book and it’s rare that I read anything that makes me LOL, but this did both. Broke my heart into a million pieces.

keeksinpdx

Nov 07, 2024

10/10 stars

Stunning.

fionaian

Sep 30, 2024

8/10 stars

I read this memoir in one sitting, crying tears of joy AND sadness the whole way through. While Rob Delaney is known for his stand-up comedy, this book is about his young infant son diagnosed with a terminal illness. I am sure writing this memoir is part of his healing process after the passing of his son.

Meli

Jun 09, 2023

10/10 stars

Poignant and hilarious at the same time, this short memoir is a beautiful tribute to little Henry and his short but brilliant life even during his illness. I think the author really captures the rainbow of emotions a father can feel while going through a child's battle with cancer, and what comes after their death. And he does it all in a very matter-of-fact and lighthearted way, always highlighting the bright parts of the journey, the good memories, the joyous moments, without taking from the grief and the sadness. At the same time, he talks about parenting his other children and about his marriage, and how he had to navigate and keep these two other aspects of his life afloat and working, even through the chaos of caring for a disabled child, and how everything required work, conscious effort on his part.
I read this in just a couple of days, pouring over it for huge chunks at a time, impossible to put down.