Grief is for People
Author: Sloane Crosley
Published by: Serpent’s Tail
Pages: 208
Format: Paperback
My Rating: ★★★★
Published by: Serpent’s Tail
Pages: 208
Format: Paperback
My Rating: ★★★★
For most of her adult life, Sloane and Russell worked together and played together as they navigated the corridors of office life, the literary world, and the dramatic cultural shifts in New York City. In a city where friends become family, they were inseperable.
One day, while Russell is still alive, Sloane's apartment is broken into. Along with her most prized possessions, the thief makes off with her sense of security, leaving a mystery in its place.
When Russell dies exactly one month later, his suicide propels her on a wild quest to right the unrightable, to explore what constitutes family and possession as the city itself faces the staggering toll brought on by the pandemic.
One day, while Russell is still alive, Sloane's apartment is broken into. Along with her most prized possessions, the thief makes off with her sense of security, leaving a mystery in its place.
When Russell dies exactly one month later, his suicide propels her on a wild quest to right the unrightable, to explore what constitutes family and possession as the city itself faces the staggering toll brought on by the pandemic.
My thoughts:
Upending the typical ‘grief memoir,’ Grief is for People is a deeply moving, tender and thoughtful portrait of friendship. This book is a story of the struggle to hold on to the past without being consumed by it. Crosley explores grief in various forms and its impact on individuals.
Author Sloane Crosley had her apartment broken into and lost jewellery, most of it relatively inexpensive, some of it tied to strong family sentiment. She took this hard; it was a violation. Her closest friend and former boss, book publicist Russell Perreault, was the shoulder to cry on and the one person she felt comfortable confiding in. His reassurance: “If it’s any consolation,” he said, “you can’t take it with you when you go.”
A few nights later he committed suicide.
Unexpectedly, she forges the two events together. If she can solve the robbery and recover the jewellery, somehow it can turn events back. The first portion of the book follows her working around the ineffectiveness of the police and doing her own investigation. This all-consuming mission acts as a protective cloak hiding her denial over the sudden loss of her friend. She even fantasizes about Russell, in death, recovering the jewellery for her.
Dealing with the sudden, brutal loss of her friend and the distance the pandemic puts between the life she knew and the one she is being forced to endure, she finds herself with a lot of time to think about and grieve for her friend. This isn't entirely bleak. Readers shouldn’t be put off by the darkness one may associate with the subject matter. This is an excellent exploration of a place we are all bound to dwell in at some point. Crosley is an engaging, thoughtful writer who is good at seeing the dark humour in life. Her charm and wit lift this and make it something beautiful. The writing delivers wit and sadness, an odd pairing but one that makes for an excellent reading experience, somehow turning parts of grief into hope for living on and remembering those we've loved and lost.
Thanks again to Serpent's Tail for sending me out an early edition of the paperback in exchange for an honest review.
Overall reaction:
Upending the typical ‘grief memoir,’ Grief is for People is a deeply moving, tender and thoughtful portrait of friendship. This book is a story of the struggle to hold on to the past without being consumed by it. Crosley explores grief in various forms and its impact on individuals.
Author Sloane Crosley had her apartment broken into and lost jewellery, most of it relatively inexpensive, some of it tied to strong family sentiment. She took this hard; it was a violation. Her closest friend and former boss, book publicist Russell Perreault, was the shoulder to cry on and the one person she felt comfortable confiding in. His reassurance: “If it’s any consolation,” he said, “you can’t take it with you when you go.”
A few nights later he committed suicide.
Unexpectedly, she forges the two events together. If she can solve the robbery and recover the jewellery, somehow it can turn events back. The first portion of the book follows her working around the ineffectiveness of the police and doing her own investigation. This all-consuming mission acts as a protective cloak hiding her denial over the sudden loss of her friend. She even fantasizes about Russell, in death, recovering the jewellery for her.
Dealing with the sudden, brutal loss of her friend and the distance the pandemic puts between the life she knew and the one she is being forced to endure, she finds herself with a lot of time to think about and grieve for her friend. This isn't entirely bleak. Readers shouldn’t be put off by the darkness one may associate with the subject matter. This is an excellent exploration of a place we are all bound to dwell in at some point. Crosley is an engaging, thoughtful writer who is good at seeing the dark humour in life. Her charm and wit lift this and make it something beautiful. The writing delivers wit and sadness, an odd pairing but one that makes for an excellent reading experience, somehow turning parts of grief into hope for living on and remembering those we've loved and lost.
Thanks again to Serpent's Tail for sending me out an early edition of the paperback in exchange for an honest review.
Overall reaction: