Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead - Emily Austin

Fiction

Rating: 8/10

Gilda is a twenty something lesbian atheist hypochondriac with a profound anxiety disorder that stumbles into a job at a Catholic church and becomes obsessed with her predecessor’s mysterious death. What could possibly go wrong?!?

The book takes us on Gilda’s journey as she goes about her day to day with these new and unexpected complications.  The author serves up wonderful supporting characters and I dare you not to love Gilda!

One of my favourite moments, and there are many, is when Gilda realizes the crackers’ she stole from the church are in fact the body of Christ. Which she only discovers when researching the brand to give them a review; so tasteless and bland that no amount of cheese could save them.  The lapsed Catholic in me found this hilarious!

While certainly infused with humour, we also get glimpses into the very real depths of pain that anxiety disorders can cause.

A brilliantly deadpan, deeply human and tender reckoning of the only thing any of us can be sure of, death.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada, Net Galley and the author for an advanced readers copy.

Footnote: Fair warning, this novel will cause lots of swings in emotion.  At times you will be unable to stop yourself from laughing out loud and at others you will be utterly dismayed.