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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Solace: Emily Austin has written anxiety and depression so vividly that it felt like she cracked my brain open and spilled a bit of gray on the pages. It was such a surreal moment to read a spiral. I have and think spirals all the time, but to READ one was an insane feeling. And Gilda’s spirals aren’t just relatable—they’re real. The way her thoughts leap from one fear to the next with dizzying speed made me feel deeply seen. There were also so many moments of sameness that I felt - it really is beautiful to read a book where your bit of crazy is experienced. There were also a lot of blurred lines between dream and reality and the past, which adds to the book’s trippy, chaotic tone (intentionally, I think). At times, it made me feel like I was floating in Gilda’s foggy mental state. I underlined so much of this book because the writing is beautifully dark—death is a constant theme, yet it’s presented with such strange tenderness and humor that it never feels heavy for the sake of being heavy. The line “I’m disappointed God is so homophobic that he forgot about lesbians” is just one of many that balances bleakness with wit. And the whole subplot with Flop? It quietly threaded a deeper understanding of Gilda’s lifelong mental state, and I loved how subtly and steadily it unfolded.
The Dread: Almost every character in Gilda’s life drove me nuts. No one gives her space to feel—they brush her off, redirect her emotions, or dismiss her altogether. It’s frustrating because it mirrors how so many people with anxiety and depression are treated in real life. Maybe that’s the point—but whew, I rolled my eyes hard more than once. And the ending? I’m torn. After so much unraveling, it almost felt too tidy and packaged up too well for what we went through in the rest of the book. I’m glad we saw Gilda improving, but I would have loved even just a glimpse of how characters like Eli, Jeff, Barney—or especially her parents—reacted to her send-offs because it had to be a little messy. Still, that final interaction with Rosemary and the spring/Easter/new beginnings imagery was a gorgeous way to close out a long, hard winter.
Overall, this book is wild, dark, funny, and quietly devastating. It walks through grief, religion, queerness, and mental health in ways that are raw and weirdly comforting. Gilda is not an easy character, but she is an honest one. Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead doesn’t offer answers—it just sits with the questions, in all their anxious, awkward, chaotic glory. And that felt… strangely hopeful.
The Dread: Almost every character in Gilda’s life drove me nuts. No one gives her space to feel—they brush her off, redirect her emotions, or dismiss her altogether. It’s frustrating because it mirrors how so many people with anxiety and depression are treated in real life. Maybe that’s the point—but whew, I rolled my eyes hard more than once. And the ending? I’m torn. After so much unraveling, it almost felt too tidy and packaged up too well for what we went through in the rest of the book. I’m glad we saw Gilda improving, but I would have loved even just a glimpse of how characters like Eli, Jeff, Barney—or especially her parents—reacted to her send-offs because it had to be a little messy. Still, that final interaction with Rosemary and the spring/Easter/new beginnings imagery was a gorgeous way to close out a long, hard winter.
Overall, this book is wild, dark, funny, and quietly devastating. It walks through grief, religion, queerness, and mental health in ways that are raw and weirdly comforting. Gilda is not an easy character, but she is an honest one. Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead doesn’t offer answers—it just sits with the questions, in all their anxious, awkward, chaotic glory. And that felt… strangely hopeful.
i will never have any other hands but these
5 estrellas porque nunca un libro me había hecho llorar así.. la autora escribe con una profundidad increíble. gilda te entiendo tanto
5 estrellas porque nunca un libro me había hecho llorar así.. la autora escribe con una profundidad increíble. gilda te entiendo tanto
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
REVIEW FOR FUTURE ME WHEN I FORGET THAT I EVEN READ THIS BOOK:
You honestly tried so hard to like this. It was really interesting being inside the head of someone with intrusive thoughts and anxiety. The hyper focusing and hyper awareness that occurred simultaneously beside a total lack of awareness or understanding was well done. You just didn’t get enough of a sense of Gilda to really care. Like, you cared, but not really cared. Also, it wasn’t a long book but it weirdly felt like there were A LOT of words? Hmmm
The quote: “It’s easy for me to accept that I am bacteria, or a parasite, or cancer. It’s easy for me to accept that my life is trivial, and that I am a speck of dust. It is hard for me to accept that for the people around me, however. It’s hard for me to accept that my brother’s life doesn’t matter, or that old women who die don’t matter, or even that rabbits or cats don’t matter. I feel simultaneously intensely insignificant and hyperaware of how important everyone is.”
You honestly tried so hard to like this. It was really interesting being inside the head of someone with intrusive thoughts and anxiety. The hyper focusing and hyper awareness that occurred simultaneously beside a total lack of awareness or understanding was well done. You just didn’t get enough of a sense of Gilda to really care. Like, you cared, but not really cared. Also, it wasn’t a long book but it weirdly felt like there were A LOT of words? Hmmm
The quote: “It’s easy for me to accept that I am bacteria, or a parasite, or cancer. It’s easy for me to accept that my life is trivial, and that I am a speck of dust. It is hard for me to accept that for the people around me, however. It’s hard for me to accept that my brother’s life doesn’t matter, or that old women who die don’t matter, or even that rabbits or cats don’t matter. I feel simultaneously intensely insignificant and hyperaware of how important everyone is.”
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ll read anything Emily Austin writes - she can send me her grocery lists and I’d still be enthralled, I’m sure.
The style of this book would be complicated as an audiobook, so I’m glad I read the hard copy.
I wish everyone who doesn’t deal with mental illness could read this and understand anxiety/depression. I related so strongly to so many of the things she dealt with, but other aspects made me frustrated. That’s how I know it’s real - I had moments of “all you have to do is ____!!” Followed by immediately thinking “oooooh how many times have I told myself the same, or been told the same?”
This was a great vacation read. Not uplifting, but real.
The style of this book would be complicated as an audiobook, so I’m glad I read the hard copy.
I wish everyone who doesn’t deal with mental illness could read this and understand anxiety/depression. I related so strongly to so many of the things she dealt with, but other aspects made me frustrated. That’s how I know it’s real - I had moments of “all you have to do is ____!!” Followed by immediately thinking “oooooh how many times have I told myself the same, or been told the same?”
This was a great vacation read. Not uplifting, but real.
8/10 : I think this book may be like marmite, you’ll either love it or hate it. I loved it! Gilda is 27. She is depressed. She is gay and an atheist, yet winds up working as a secretary at a Catholic Church. She has a troubled relationship with her family. She has just been in a small car accident. Gilda is plagued by panic attacks, a lack of self worth & constant thoughts of death. Despite this macabre existence, Gilda is astute, funny & I found her intrinsically likeable & realistic. The book is both heavy & light hearted, with moments of laugh out loud humour. I really enjoyed this.
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes