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katereadsgreat's review
Being a mood reader is annoying because this book is really cool but I'm just not vibing with it right now. Will reattempt!
yolie's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
What an incredibly descriptive - and sometimes uncomfortable - book to get through.
I can’t say I enjoyed every aspect of the book, but there was a weird fascination that kept pulling me to read it.
Whilst trying to understand the motivations for each character, and why they would pick a place like the Institute, you begin to grapple with your own ideas with death and palliative care. Is there more and better that can be done for people?
While the methods in the book are somewhat drastic (for me) it did make me think of the lengths one would go to for a dignified death or a death on their own terms.
I can’t say I enjoyed every aspect of the book, but there was a weird fascination that kept pulling me to read it.
Whilst trying to understand the motivations for each character, and why they would pick a place like the Institute, you begin to grapple with your own ideas with death and palliative care. Is there more and better that can be done for people?
While the methods in the book are somewhat drastic (for me) it did make me think of the lengths one would go to for a dignified death or a death on their own terms.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Excrement, Violence, Medical trauma, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Murder, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Addiction, and Sexual violence
This book deals with death and tries to imagine different ways for palliative care. Not a book for the faint hearted.where_the_pages_bleed's review
5.0
While this was touch and go from the start, I am genuinely happy I finished this one. While I did enjoy this book immensely I can see how this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea BUT if you can give it a chance..
This was gifted to me by PanMacmillian SA for an honest review.
What is death, and what does it mean to us? Well we get to explore this with Mustafa and the Mortician as they take us on a journey in their wellness centre. This book follows 5 individuals as they come to terms with the trajectory of their lives.
Dianne a retired catholic nun with incurable brain cancer. Angelique our social media/model butterfly with a liver disease. Daniel and Lucas, two lovers whose lives have literally been turned upside down and whose relationship is turning the other way. And Tobias, a man I hated at first but damn he grew on me.
This book focuses on character development so if that’s not your jam just know that characters own the plot. This was also a slow start but once the introductions were completed the suspense started, which also brought on the tears.
This book truly covers death, ways to combat that feelings that go with it but never the prevention. Death is inevitable. If anything this book will make you think of death, disease and the human mind in ways you don’t want to but let’s face it you have to
This was gifted to me by PanMacmillian SA for an honest review.
What is death, and what does it mean to us? Well we get to explore this with Mustafa and the Mortician as they take us on a journey in their wellness centre. This book follows 5 individuals as they come to terms with the trajectory of their lives.
Dianne a retired catholic nun with incurable brain cancer. Angelique our social media/model butterfly with a liver disease. Daniel and Lucas, two lovers whose lives have literally been turned upside down and whose relationship is turning the other way. And Tobias, a man I hated at first but damn he grew on me.
This book focuses on character development so if that’s not your jam just know that characters own the plot. This was also a slow start but once the introductions were completed the suspense started, which also brought on the tears.
This book truly covers death, ways to combat that feelings that go with it but never the prevention. Death is inevitable. If anything this book will make you think of death, disease and the human mind in ways you don’t want to but let’s face it you have to
sharron_joy_reads's review
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I’m not sure how to review this book to be honest. It is visually descriptive, the prose is beautiful. The story is about a disparate group of people finding a way to live as they are dying at a hospice like no other. It is complex and weird but strangely compelling.
The characters are so different and yet all flawed and so human. There is an otherworldly feeling to their experiences but it is very much grounded in real life. Some of the “treatments” are wacky and seem pointless and yet they seem fitting in the environment created here.
I enjoyed it but this is an experience rather than just a story. It challenges the notion of end of life care, what does it mean, what do you need, do we just walk through our lives mindlessly until our inevitable end. What if we lived fully whilst plummeting towards the grave, could the closeness of our end force us to live and see life as it really is. Heavy questions with no easy answers, this book forces you to look at the purpose of your existence and it’s ultimate conclusion, fascinating.
The characters are so different and yet all flawed and so human. There is an otherworldly feeling to their experiences but it is very much grounded in real life. Some of the “treatments” are wacky and seem pointless and yet they seem fitting in the environment created here.
I enjoyed it but this is an experience rather than just a story. It challenges the notion of end of life care, what does it mean, what do you need, do we just walk through our lives mindlessly until our inevitable end. What if we lived fully whilst plummeting towards the grave, could the closeness of our end force us to live and see life as it really is. Heavy questions with no easy answers, this book forces you to look at the purpose of your existence and it’s ultimate conclusion, fascinating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Chronic illness, Grief, Death, and Drug use
Moderate: Terminal illness, Islamophobia, Medical content, and Sexual content
roelia's review
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Only after reading this book, I realised that “Creative Dying” was a thing. Google is your friend. Yes, you can check it out, there is an actual movement, from their website quoting the following:
“Creative Dying: A philosophy that aims to bring together ancient wisdom with modern palliative care to facilitate healing and approach death as a time for growth.”
This website is insightful – do check it out! www.creativedying.org
“No one ever asks us if we want to be alive, doc. It just happens. Why wouldn’t it be the same with death? We’re always getting things we don’t ask for.”
Well, even before that realisation (i.e., that this movement isn’t just a wonderful concept imagined by the author), this approach to our end of life makes sense to me. And before reading the book, I honestly didn’t think that such an option exists. It can be depressing to think about our last months on earth – and this book made me ponder my own mortality a lot – but what if you can end your time on earth with calm acceptance and peace?
“Comfort is one of our top priorities. The best decisions are made from a position of comfort.” I looked down a little, looking back the way I came. “Fear is normal,” says Mustafa, noticing my slacked pace. “If you’d like to turn back now, you’re welcome to. This isn’t Sodom and Gomorrah.” His body faces forward, but his face is turned back to me. “I don’t want to be afraid.”
So, do we have such an institute in South Africa? Richly pictured by author Jarred Thompson, this mysterious house in Northcliff in Johannesburg had me fascinated from the get-go. He sure knows how to set the scene. From the imposing house to the gorgeous, luxurious gardens I was there, every step of the way. The treehouses and opulent rooms were vivid in my mind’s eye.
"From the balcony I watch fish rise and fall in the rock pools. Must be nice to be surrounded by all that water, moving through it as it moves through you. No matter what you do or where you go, when you’re a fish water will always be there, holding you, even as you sleep."
But of course, the book is not about the house itself, it is all about the inhabitants and guests.
The custodians of this institute are the Mortician, and her partner, Mustafa. As the plot unfolds, it was fascinating to hear the stories of each of the guests Daniel, Lucas, Dianne, Tobias, and Angelique. How did they end up here? What will they get from this experience? And yes, morbidly but justly, will not survive their stay? Told from each of the role character’s point of view, every page is a new reveal, another layer that is peeled away.
And even behind that question, I must also state that it isn’t just about who death and dying. What is one’s mental state of mind when you know that the end is here. Where does that journey take you. How do you accept it – if possible?
"She thought about their time at Bridge Builders Hospice: how people passed through those bedrooms like ghosts on wrecked rowboats, incapable of redirecting course from the approaching cliff. She had witnessed it many times: the moment dying became a letting, and the currents plunged their patients, headfirst, into waterfalls so misty it was like sailing through cloud. Resist it nor not, it made no difference."
Whilst trying to answer the question about the meaning of life and find an angle for the existential human condition, can it be that there is maybe something more sinister or suspect at play at this secretive residence? What is the Mortician and Mustafa’s motivation?
“Being here reminds me of the immensity that’s oddly quite comforting. Depending on what story you’re telling. The supercluster of galaxies that we’re part of – Laniakea – has given us these few billions of years, to play.”
“What does Laniakea mean?”
“Immeasurable heaven.”
The book is filled with complex characters, diverse personalities, and intriguing ethical dilemmas. The author’s insight into the human condition, alternative therapies and morality is highly commendable.
“Dianne, when you’re reconciled to the reality that you have been dying, that death is the condition of your survival, your growth, the very earth you walk on… you feel a shift, an appreciation.”
• Immersive plot
• Morally grey characters
• Vividly descriptive
• Thought-provoking
• Relatable characters
This was the difference between cured and healed, she thought. One you leave behind, another you live with.
“The Institute for Creative Dying” is wildly imaginative, deeply moving, and unique, I throughly enjoyed this.
What a wonderful debut novel!
With thanks to Exclusive Books for the opportunity to read this book!
“Creative Dying: A philosophy that aims to bring together ancient wisdom with modern palliative care to facilitate healing and approach death as a time for growth.”
This website is insightful – do check it out! www.creativedying.org
“No one ever asks us if we want to be alive, doc. It just happens. Why wouldn’t it be the same with death? We’re always getting things we don’t ask for.”
Well, even before that realisation (i.e., that this movement isn’t just a wonderful concept imagined by the author), this approach to our end of life makes sense to me. And before reading the book, I honestly didn’t think that such an option exists. It can be depressing to think about our last months on earth – and this book made me ponder my own mortality a lot – but what if you can end your time on earth with calm acceptance and peace?
“Comfort is one of our top priorities. The best decisions are made from a position of comfort.” I looked down a little, looking back the way I came. “Fear is normal,” says Mustafa, noticing my slacked pace. “If you’d like to turn back now, you’re welcome to. This isn’t Sodom and Gomorrah.” His body faces forward, but his face is turned back to me. “I don’t want to be afraid.”
So, do we have such an institute in South Africa? Richly pictured by author Jarred Thompson, this mysterious house in Northcliff in Johannesburg had me fascinated from the get-go. He sure knows how to set the scene. From the imposing house to the gorgeous, luxurious gardens I was there, every step of the way. The treehouses and opulent rooms were vivid in my mind’s eye.
"From the balcony I watch fish rise and fall in the rock pools. Must be nice to be surrounded by all that water, moving through it as it moves through you. No matter what you do or where you go, when you’re a fish water will always be there, holding you, even as you sleep."
But of course, the book is not about the house itself, it is all about the inhabitants and guests.
The custodians of this institute are the Mortician, and her partner, Mustafa. As the plot unfolds, it was fascinating to hear the stories of each of the guests Daniel, Lucas, Dianne, Tobias, and Angelique. How did they end up here? What will they get from this experience? And yes, morbidly but justly, will not survive their stay? Told from each of the role character’s point of view, every page is a new reveal, another layer that is peeled away.
And even behind that question, I must also state that it isn’t just about who death and dying. What is one’s mental state of mind when you know that the end is here. Where does that journey take you. How do you accept it – if possible?
"She thought about their time at Bridge Builders Hospice: how people passed through those bedrooms like ghosts on wrecked rowboats, incapable of redirecting course from the approaching cliff. She had witnessed it many times: the moment dying became a letting, and the currents plunged their patients, headfirst, into waterfalls so misty it was like sailing through cloud. Resist it nor not, it made no difference."
Whilst trying to answer the question about the meaning of life and find an angle for the existential human condition, can it be that there is maybe something more sinister or suspect at play at this secretive residence? What is the Mortician and Mustafa’s motivation?
“Being here reminds me of the immensity that’s oddly quite comforting. Depending on what story you’re telling. The supercluster of galaxies that we’re part of – Laniakea – has given us these few billions of years, to play.”
“What does Laniakea mean?”
“Immeasurable heaven.”
The book is filled with complex characters, diverse personalities, and intriguing ethical dilemmas. The author’s insight into the human condition, alternative therapies and morality is highly commendable.
“Dianne, when you’re reconciled to the reality that you have been dying, that death is the condition of your survival, your growth, the very earth you walk on… you feel a shift, an appreciation.”
• Immersive plot
• Morally grey characters
• Vividly descriptive
• Thought-provoking
• Relatable characters
This was the difference between cured and healed, she thought. One you leave behind, another you live with.
“The Institute for Creative Dying” is wildly imaginative, deeply moving, and unique, I throughly enjoyed this.
What a wonderful debut novel!
With thanks to Exclusive Books for the opportunity to read this book!
blackringbooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
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