Product Overview
From one of our most gifted writers and thinkers about death and the meaning of living comes a collection of writings about “what comes next.” Thomas Lynch, funeral director, poet, and author of the National Book Award finalist The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade, has an uncanny knack for writing about death in ways that are never morbid, always thoughtful, often humorous, and quite moving. From his account of riding in the hearse at the funeral of poet laureate Seamus Heaney, to his recounting of the funeral for a young child in the 1800s, to his compelling essay about his own mortality, Lynch always finds ways to make sense of senseless things, as he ponders what will come next.
Perfect for book clubs! Download the Reading Group Guide.
Reviews
“These essays are from one of our greatest living writers, nearing the end of a productive career and a fruitful life, looking back, and ahead, at what’s to come.” —The Englewood Review of Books
"The essays in this collection are about dying as much as they are about living. As always, Thomas Long connects the two with eloquent prose that dips into deep faithfulness. Hovering (as he has done for decades) at the edges of the Catholic church, funeral homes, and AA meetings, Lynch brings a poetic sensibility to common questions of mortality, ethics, and the limits of human love."
—The Christian Century