Please do not let the subject of this book push you away. Very well written book about death, as well as end of life. I am sure something in this book will stick with you. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

A decent read about life, death, mortality and an insight into a personal experience of someone deciding to become an Independent Funeral Celebrant in the Shetlands.

It's a well written account and a 'different' read in these strange times.

I think of particular use to those who have recently lost someone, it's a book I shall return to.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

After a close encounter with death, Tom Morton realised he needed a change of pace and perspective. He decided to become the only independent funeral celebrant on the remote Shetland Islands, an unusual new profession that would lead him on an extraordinary journey into the world of the dead.

As a nurse who has worked in emergency care, palliative care, and intensive care, this book resonated with me so much, The book details in length grief, death, and the insight into what happens once someone has died. It is not insensitive at all and is a read that I will definitely let my colleagues in the ICU know about. Very well written.

An excellent, very readable book about end of life and celebrations of life and death. Bringing wisdom from Shetland it asks questions and encourages the reader to think about death and how preparations can make it easier for those left behind. Also excellent for those involved in the grief process and celebrating life. It'll become a staple of many bookshelves I hope

This was definitely a case of right book, right time. A family member recently passed away and I was looking for a way to process that reality; this book helped me to do that. Tom Morton's exploration of death and grief was honest without being insensitive. His frank insight into what happens after we die with a focus on the importance of a definitive point where loved ones get to say goodbye was as moving as it was educational.

Morton's own brushes with death forced him to not only face his own mortality but that of his fellow man leading him to set up as an independent funeral celebrant in the Shetlands. The stories he shares of some of the services he has officiated were touching and showed that every funeral is different and can be tailored to suit the needs of those left behind.

Morton's book is bang up to date and acknowledges the Covid-19 pandemic we are living through often lending it biblical proportions by referring to it as the plague. He suggests ways to share funerals with loved ones even within Covid restrictions using streaming technology such as Facebook Live.
Morton dedicates a few pages to practical links and resources but in my opinion it's nothing more than you would find from a Google search. The real value of this book is its willingness to deal head on with how to prepare for it and how to move on from loss and death, a fate that will in time befall us all.