A review by bettyreads
The Art of Death: Writing the Final Story by Edwidge Danticat

4.0

Appreciate reading and discussing this book during book club tonight especially during this time we find ourselves in. Where we're either grappling with the death of a loved one, national death news and just the death of what we once knew. This book made me grapple with what I would want to be said about me after I died and how our host said 'how death makes you reckon with life, have to think about my life more when i think about death' and the truth of that like what effect are your actions having, do you want to change because you realize there is more you could be doing or less because screw being productive just for productivity sake. I'm grateful to have this book to allow me to think about my grandfather's death and how while it was in the midst of this collective moment and morning, it still feels so private and like the grief just comes and goes in waves. Danticat did an amazing job of making want to go and read all the books she touched on to see how they cover death and now going forward I think I'll definitely be more aware of the role of death in a story since it is so embedded in our society and just not as openly spoken about in some cultures. I appreciated how this look at other authors' ways of covering death allowed her to grapple with her mother's death. Just beautifully done.