Eleven Words tells the story of best friends Dave Wallin and Randy Fandrich in the aftermath of Terry, Dave’s wife’s brutal murder. Starting the day after the murder when Randy comes to the aid of his lifelong friend, Randy talks with homicide detectives, walks the crime scene, and helps notify Terry’s family of her death. Fandrich supplies true crime readers with something often lacking in these accounts, and that is the 'in the moment,' visceral reaction of those involved. He recounts seeing the dark blood stain where Terry’s body was stripped of life; perusing the crime scene with detectives; and the feelings he experienced trying to think of who would want to harm his kind pregnant friend while still coming to terms with her death.

This story told by Randy Fandrich is not the fantastically scripted true crime tales most of us are used to, but rather a sober tale of how loved ones left behind attempt to go on in the face of such devastation. The one thing missing from Eleven Words, I think, was the reaction to finding out the perpetrator of Terry Wallin’s death. As a story of grief and healing and friendship, I do believe at the time this information could have impacted both Dave and Randy in some way. Overall, I loved that Eleven Words is a story of male grief, rather than typical psychological analysis of the grieving process. Their grief is real and filled with unspeakable emotions, curse words, a desire for revenge and an attempt to understand the incomprehensible.

Not your typical story of grief, but it offers a unique twist on the ways in which we mourn loss.

Eleven words were all that were needed to communicate a catastrophic loss that shattered a family. Eleven Words is also the title of the story of that loss, written by Randy Fandrich with Dave Wallin. They were both 24 years old in 1978 when Dave's wife was brutally slain by an intruder. When Dave came home from work that evening, he found her body. After a quick phone call between the two friends, Randy left his home and spent the next week helping Dave cope with the aftermath of his loss. While this event happened 36 years ago, the two have remained close friends, and both still share the pain and loss of that tragedy. They've channeled their grief, experience, and survival skills into victim advocacy and wrote Eleven Words to show others that the unthinkable can be put behind you, even if you do never forget.

I was initially concerned that reading Randy Fandrich's book, Eleven Words, would be a depressing experience. I was wrong. Yes, I was saddened by the loss of Terry, and the many pictures Fandrich shares of her made me so aware of who she was and what she could have been if her life hadn't been cut short. What really shook me though was the ages of Randy and Dave and the maturity and resilience of the two of them throughout that first awful week. Looking at the wedding pictures taken just a few years before her murder, you see happy kids with their lives ahead of them, then devastation. And still, they coped, telling their families and their friends, helping the cops with their investigation, shielding loved ones from the full details and arranging for her funeral. They are joined by another friend, Mike. There's something so amazing and poignant in the quest of the three friends driving around, searching from store to store to find the perfect urn for her ashes. This is an awesome and awe-inspiring memoir and a tribute to courage, resilience, and friendship. Eleven Words is quite a remarkable story and is very highly recommended.

The loss of a loved one under any circumstances will be one of the most traumatic experiences that any person will experience in life. A psychological rending, if left unchecked, it could destroy the very fiber of your being especially without some semblance of emotional support. Eleven Words written by Randy Fandrich (best friend to Dave Wallin) is about the events, emotional support and emotional survival that transpired after Dave discovered his pregnant wife Teresa’s, brutalized body in their home, Jan 23rd 1978.
Not only an accounting of the facts but, also an intricate exposure of the soul-deep hurt that each experienced and the strength that they afforded each other as they dealt with their personal grief. This book has multiple purposes; while it covers the factual events, it also demonstrates for others in similar situations that they too can survive the tragic loss of a loved one and it is a loving homage to Teresa Wallin. The message of this book is largely this, you will never get over the loss of a loved one, but you can survive the emotional wreckage of the situation, Dave’s involvement with victim advocacy and support groups is a tribute to that fact.
Eleven words was a darned good read; it is teeming with raw emotion especially love. This is not light reading instead, it is a jarring narrative that shocks you awake from your daily fugue and incites you to hug all your loved ones. As I read Eleven Words, I could feel the pain, agony, angst, anger, and strength emanating from the pages. What I also liked about this book is the included photographs, which greatly enhanced the read by putting faces to names. I highly recommend this rawly emotional read to anyone dealing with the loss of a loved one.