Don't Forget We're Here Forever

The question this book asks concerns a whole generation . . . Not only a fascinating sociological study and religious memoir, but a profound look at the power of ritual and communion with others . . . “I feel so different to the person I was when I started this research,” Ash concludes. Readers may find they close this book feeling different too -- Laura Hackett * Sunday Times *
A twenty-first-century version of Rural Rides, except that in place of William Cobbett’s horse, Ash set off in a twenty-year-old Toyota Corolla . . . A captivating narrative of discovery . . . Don’t Forget We’re Here Forever is a Pilgrim’s Progress for our time -- Catherine Pepinster * Telegraph *
I finished Don’t Forget We’re Here Forever in 48 hours, because the stakes are so real and so recognisable . . . What lingers is the vulnerable expression of raw existential longing and the sheer beauty of the sentences . . . The most honest and moving account of the wrestle of faith that I have read since Christian Wiman’s My Bright Abyss, and I have never heard anyone describe the interior experience of prayer more powerfully -- Elizabeth Oldfield * Church Times *
Ash's first book, on the Cornish fishing community, written with wide-eyed wonder when she was in her early 20s, was excellent, and her second is even better . . . Ash has that great skill of writing narrative non-fiction in a nuanced way, subtly revealing the complexities of humanity -- Patrick Galbraith * Daily Mail *
Meticulously crafted . . . Through her personal experiences and reflections Ash illuminates the inadequacy of mere statistical measures of religious attendance . . . The author pursues her quest through intelligent observation and exploratory conversation . . . These reflections on a “new generation’s search for religion” will be rewarding reading for many -- Alister McGrath * Times Literary Supplement *
A book of rare quality: Lamorna Ash is not only a writer of exceptional grace and energy, but a movingly good, compassionate listener -- ROWAN WILLIAMS, former Archbishop of Canterbury
Beautiful as a piece of writing, beautiful too as a record of a soul wrestling in the present with what faith might be -- FRANCIS SPUFFORD
Spellbinding . . . An incredible exploration of how young people are navigating the complex world we find ourselves in today -- KATY HESSEL, author of The History of Art Without Men
Humane, curious and unexpectedly moving, Lamorna Ash’s book is as much an account of the human condition as it is an investigation of faith. Quietly radical in its empathy, this is a book I have waited years and years to read, without even knowing it -- SEÁN HEWITT, author of All Down Darkness Wide
In this elegantly written work of non-fiction, she travels around Britain to see how our young people turned back to religion, exploring everything from Quaker meetings to monastic communities on the Hebridean Isles. We read a lot of waffle about "the youth today", and what they do (or don’t) believe: Ash paints a fascinating, and more realistic, picture -- Lucy Thynne * Telegraph, The Best Books of 2025 *
Radically empathetic, this is a reminder of the joy of collectivism and feeding the soul -- Lena de Casparis * Elle, The Cult Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2025 *
Inspired by the abrupt embrace of religion by two friends, Lamorna Ash has investigated how many young people are now turning towards faith, not away from it. Don’t Forget We’re Here Forever takes in every facet of this, from youth festivals put on by evangelicals to monasteries on Scottish islands. Along the way, she touches on her own relationship to religion too -- Josiah Gogarty * GQ, The Most Anticipated Books of 2025 *
Serious, luminous and profound, Lamorna Ash has written a book that’s honest without self-pity, moving without becoming sentimental, clear-sighted, considered and animated by an intuitive intelligence. She’s a wonderful companion and this is an important book for an age that so often feels atomised -- LUCY CALDWELL, author of Openings
She has that great skill of writing narrative non-fiction in a nuanced way, subtly revealing the complexities of humanity
Britain’s youngsters are turning to faith in surprising numbers. Ash embarks on a journey around Britain, from Evangelical youth festivals to Quaker meetings to a silent Jesuit retreat to find out why * Financial Times, What to Read in 2025 *
A very persuasive and compelling account of the cultural shift happening right now in Britain and elsewhere with respect to religion, especially Christianity. As the book tells its story, there is also a shift from an open-minded curiosity about religion to a much more intense focus on religious practices like prayer and devotion, particularly in the context of compassion for the suffering of others, near and far. An excellent book -- SIMON CRITCHLEY, author of On Mysticism
Don’t Forget We’re Here Forever introduced me to a Christianity far richer and stranger than the faith I thought I knew. Lamorna Ash is the best of guides through our new spiritual landscape: clear-eyed, compassionate and truly wise. And, from the first page to the last, she writes like an angel -- MATT ROWLAND HILL, author of Original Sins
Provides a very human portrait of young people wrestling with the idea of religion * ELLE *