"Gilda, a twenty-something, atheist, animal-loving lesbian, cannot stop ruminating about death. Desperate for relief from her panicky mind and alienated from her repressive family, she responds to a flyer for free therapy at a local Catholic church, and finds herself being greeted by Father Jeff, who assumes she's there for a job interview. Too embarrassed to correct him, Gilda is abruptly hired to replace the recently deceased receptionist Grace. In between trying to memorize the lines to Catholic mass, hiding the fact ...
Read More
"Gilda, a twenty-something, atheist, animal-loving lesbian, cannot stop ruminating about death. Desperate for relief from her panicky mind and alienated from her repressive family, she responds to a flyer for free therapy at a local Catholic church, and finds herself being greeted by Father Jeff, who assumes she's there for a job interview. Too embarrassed to correct him, Gilda is abruptly hired to replace the recently deceased receptionist Grace. In between trying to memorize the lines to Catholic mass, hiding the fact that she has a new girlfriend, and erecting a dirty dish tower in her crumbling apartment, Gilda strikes up an email correspondence with Grace's old friend. She can't bear to ignore the kindly old woman, who has been trying to reach her friend through the church inbox, but she also can't bring herself to break the bad news. Desperate, she begins impersonating Grace via email. But when the police discover suspicious circumstances surrounding Grace's death, Gilda may have to finally reveal the truth of her mortifying existence. A delightful blend of warmth, deadpan humor, and pitch-perfect observations about the human condition, Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead is a crackling exploration of what it takes to stay afloat in a world where your expiration--and the expiration of those you love--is the only certainty"--
Read Less
Add this copy of Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead (Thorndike to cart. $111.52, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Thorndike Press Large Print.
Everyone in this Room Will Someday be Dead isn't the snappiest of titles but as it focusses on atheist, hypochondriac Gilda who suffers from extreme social anxiety and depression it seems somewhat apt!
Getting inside Gilda's head is tricky but author Emily Austin paints a realistic and sad picture. Parts of Gilda's character feels very relatable, and then there are some choices she makes that have you cringing in frustration. There's a dark humour running through the piece - it isn't laugh out loud funny, but it is amusing in parts and this helps engage you into the plot. I think the blurb touting it as 'hilarious' is a bad misstep in setting expectations for the reader that the book can't meet though.
As far as plots go not much really happens throughout - there's a slight mystery solved but it's more about the journey and the characters. The ending does spiral a bit as Gilda becomes less hooked into reality. I was expecting a massive twist such as Gilda becoming an unreliable narrator and turning everything we had been told on its head. Once I'd had this idea, the actual ending was a bit of a let-down and felt rushed unfortunately!
Overall, Everyone in this Room Will Someday be Dead is a dark tale of anxiety and depression but without a solidly anchored plot ultimately feels a little unfinished. Thank you to NetGalley & Atlantic Books - Atlantic fiction for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
