Everyone in this Room Will Someday be Dead
Book Feature - Everyone in this Room Will Someday be Dead by Emily Austin
HBL Note: Now that’s a catchy title! The publicist who reached out to me about this book described it as, “One of the wittiest and ruminative novels I’ve read this year!” It’s also being described as perfect for fans of Mostly Dead Things and Goodbye, Vitamin (a book that stuck with me long after I read the last page.) EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM WILL SOMEDAY BE DEAD by Emily Austin is about a girl who suffers from severe anxiety. She recently got a job as a secretary at a Catholic church and becomes obsessed by her predecessor’s death. Scroll down to read more about this witty debut novel:
Book Feature - Everyone in this Room Will Someday be Dead by Emily Austin
Book Feature - Everyone in this Room Will Someday be Dead by Emily Austin
From the publisher:
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.
Full of deadpan wit and pitch-perfect observations about the human condition EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM WILL SOMEDAY BE DEAD is also unexpectedly warm and hopeful. This is a novel for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, watching the daily rituals of life unfold as if through binoculars. With the dark humor and the vignette structure reminiscent of an episode of Fleabag, Austin’s characterization of Gilda drew me in from the first page. EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM WILL SOMEDAY BE DEAD is a crackling debut and a profound exploration of what it takes to stay afloat in a world where our eventual expiration–and the expiration of those we love–is the only certainty.
Book Feature - Everyone in this Room Will Someday be Dead by Emily Austin
