Grief can be brutal, but Umdloti author Deana Steyn hopes her latest book will help people navigate it.

Steyn launched Pause at her family home in Umdloti on Saturday afternoon, surrounded by people whose photographs feature in the book in memory of loved ones they have lost.

The garden gathering brought together contributors remembering parents, siblings, nieces and nephews.

Steyn wrote the devotional about grief soon after the death of her mother, Celia ‘Bun’ Simmonds.

The first part shares Simmonds’ story, while the second offers a Christian devotional on grief, interspersed with photographs contributed by others who have experienced loss.

Steyn said Pause is not a manual offering advice, but rather an account of her own experience, accompanied by insights from a Christian perspective.

She describes the book not as sad, but as an exploration of grief and the comfort she believes can be found through God.

Steyn became emotional as she read a passage from the book before presenting copies to those who had contributed photographs.