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The Forest Is the Path

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The Forest Is the Path

By: Gary Lightbody
Narrated by: Gary Lightbody
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About this listen

You’re falling through time so all I can do is fall with you.

The numbness had set in long before I sat at your bedside. But even with senses impaired as the flight touches down at Belfast City I can somehow still feel the screeching of wheels on tarmac scorching something deep into me.

Gary Lightbody's phenomenal companion to Snow Patrol's No.1 Album of the same name is a remarkable work of narrative writing.

The Forest is the Path explores some of the main themes of the album; time, home, love, death and life, and serves as a prequel to the record, telling the story of his dad Jack's death. It tracks the journey he went on – a journey whose end seemed to unlock a part of Gary that had been dormant until he started to write songs again.

©2025 Gary Lightbody (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers Art & Literature Artists, Architects & Photographers Entertainment & Celebrities

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I liked his honesty, his self reflection and his ability to make a very personal story a universal one. Also, it’s quite funny. Which is not something you expect of a book about mourning. But there you go.

Superb story of grief.

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I have seen Snow Patrol a few times and had the pleasure of attending his book launch in London last week.
I lost my father in 2023 and found parts of this a tough listen.
My overwhelming feeling is this is a love story to his father.
I wish I had your gift of words

Raw Honesty

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I identified so much with this audiobook coming from Northern Ireland myself and losing my own dad on NYE 2021. Gary’s story is very heart felt and poetically written. As Gary’s father passed away with dementia it’s as if Gary has captured these moments incase one day he himself cannot recall this very important part of his life. It doesn’t mean that he himself will get the disease but I’d say it’s a very scary thing to have to process and that the fear is real. A lesson to us all to appreciate every moment in life and to never take anything for granted! I loved hearing Gary read it himself and afterwards I listened to the full album ‘The forest is the path’. It’s amazing, as all the other albums before it were! A real credit to Northern Ireland! Well done Gary!

Right from the heart

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The almost conversational tone Gary takes in reading this reminded me of the entirely fictional time I chatted to him in the quiet corner of an almost empty coffee shop. The sureal and vibrantly beautiful way he discribed his experiences had me plumbing the depths of my own soul. Having lost my own father maybe I feel some sort of soul kinship with him. Certainly only felt in one direction in our non-existant relationship. I must remember to buy him a pint next time I see him, which ofcourse will be the first time.

Not just another audiobook!

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Exquisitely written and read; sublimely and passionate, real, raw, human experiences of life, relationships and their pain, joy and messy emotions. At the centre, so much nature, creativity and love. Gary's atoms and soul connect on a cellular level here, what an absolute beauty of a book! Thank you🔥❤️🔥

Exquisite

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This book is a deeply personal and unfiltered exploration of loss and the weight of grief. It’s written with such raw honesty and poetic beauty that every page feels like a glimpse into Gary’s heart. The words carry both great sadness and warmth, capturing the complex emotions of mourning, memory, and finding a way forward.

What makes it even more powerful is how it resonates on a deeply human level—whether you’ve experienced loss yourself or not, you’ll feel every emotion as if it were your own. It’s the kind of book that stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page. It breaks your heart in the most beautiful way and, somehow, put it back together again.

“The world is only heavy if you try to lift it.”
Extraordinary book!

Raw and deeply personal journey through loss and grief

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Gary Lightbody made sense of how I have been feeling since the loss of my own father. Love is the overwhelming message. He can put things in a way that are so beautiful. Words are his thing :)

An Incredible Book

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Loved hearing this book read by Gary himself. It was so honest. He has a lovely way with words and made me chuckle a few times.

The heartfelt honesty of grief.

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sometimes something comes along just at the right time for you. After my own father passed away while wallowing in my grief I listened to the song Soon by Snow Patrol and the tears ran down my face, it helped immensely I could've wrote that myself for my Dad if I had any talent. Now as I plummeted into head long disaster emotionally this book came out, I read it and then I bought so I could hear from Gary himself. the book is beautiful, sad, happy, reflective and above all honest.

awesome heartfelt reflection

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Gary Lightbody has crafted a beautifully written tribute to his father, reflecting on numerous profound questions of life. In his work, Lightbody articulates many internalised thoughts on love, the universe, consciousness, dementia, and the meaning of life—subjects often left unspoken. The narrative includes humorous moments as he reminisces about events from his childhood to the present day through flashbacks. This piece is lyrically vibrant, sincere, and emotionally resonant, showcasing a kind, candid, and at times emotional relationship between father and son.

Words on Canvas, beautifully written.

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