You can find numerous publications and extensive research about the loss of a spouse, especially the loss of a husband. But research and books regarding the loss of a domestic partner — either an opposite-sex or a same-sex partner — are scarce. This book is one of the few that can be found on the subject of unmarried partner loss.

Carolyn Ambler Walter, PhD, LCSW interviewed numerous widows, widowers, and bereaved gay and lesbian domestic partners. In this very readable and well-organized book, Walter analyzes these case studies to explore socially sanctioned grief, in which the bereaved can openly mourn their loss and count on social support. She compares and contrasts this with the experience of disenfranchised grief, in which the relationship, the death of the partner, or both cannot be openly acknowledged, publicly mourned, or socially supported. She follows this with a discussion of helpful interventions that both grievers and clinicians can use to address these differing types of grief.