It feels odd to describe a book about grief as funny, but Sloane Crosley brings her usual wit and humor to her latest subject which ranges from the theft of Her grandmother’s jewelry to her best friend’s death by suicide. As someone left behind by a family member’s suicide this was especially poignant and resonant, but also not overwrought or exploitative, the death is not played for fodder but given roughly the same weight as anything other major life event. I think it could be helpful for processing grief - and also quotes a range of philosophy and literature’s most famous thinkers on the subject, giving you plenty more resources if you want them. But it might be too much if your grief is too fresh. I could see this becoming a companion to Joan Didion’s grief books.

I will read anything Sloane Crosley writes. She crafts such an incredible world in everything she does, and I want to live inside her prose.

After the pain and confusion of losing her closest friend to suicide, Crosley looks for answers in friends, philosophy, and art, hoping for a framework more useful than the unavoidable stages of grief.

I think this book did not always know what it was and what it wanted to say - and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. That is exactly what grief is like. The way everything leads back to the person being grieved, the way everything is tainted now that they are gone.

It's not a perfect book - but god, it's an amazing one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Sloane Crosley is a brilliant writer. No doubt about it. Her ability to share such a personal story of loss due to suicide will be a gift to many going through the same thing.

This memoir is an intimate journey exploring the death of a close friend. This is a perfect read for those currently experiencing grief. The way Crosley weaves the memory of a jewelry robbery throughout the narrative to frame loss uniquely.

GRIEF IS FOR PEOPLE by Sloane Crosley is a necessary addition to grief literature, reminiscent of Joan Didion's THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING.

Crosley's style reminded me of Marilynne Robinson's, where words are reflective and tender and seem as if they're stream of consciousness, but there is also a depth and intention to them. At the start of the book, Crosley is the victim of a home robbery; as she processes the loss of jewelry, we also learn in one month, she will lose her dear friend Russell to suicide.

Russell was Crosley's boss for years, but he was also a close friend and father figure. In his absence, her grief spirals, and she struggles with how to navigate the stages of grief when so many resources expect you to be related to the one who died. It is a raw read, and she doesn't shy away from being vulnerable and also frank when assessing Russell's weaknesses, for we are all complex and few see us in our entirety. I welcome books that talk frankly about the experience of grief and don't hold readers at a clinical distance, and GRIEF IS FOR PEOPLE does just that.

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

This was good but took a while to get into. But it did accomplish what I feel like the author intended.

I talked about this book briefly on my small YouTube channel.

Transcript:

In Grief is for People, Sloane Crosley writes about the death by suicide of her friend Russell, and her experiences going through grieving afterward. Crosley paints Russell as an electric personality, and her account of their connection is moving. She is stunned—shocked—after he dies, and she is heartbroken. I’ve read a lot of books about grieving lately, and very few are as direct, as frank, about what grieving can feel like as Crosley is. We watch her as she tries to find various ways to confront her sadness and stop being angry. Sometimes she turns to dry humor—and certainly this book has moments that are quite funny. But the humor often felt almost like denial to me. Still, she is eventually able to accept Russell’s death through her embrace of honesty, and introspection, and compassion for both herself and for Russell. She chooses to honor his humanity, in prose that sometimes feels almost corny but at the same time hits surprisingly deep.

so absolutely heartwrenching and beautifully written. sloane crosley's memoir is all in all, a deeply personal study on grief and loss. she grapples with the loss of her best friend and mentor while attempting to make sense of her feelings. how do you mourn the loss of a loved one? where do you place the love you had for them, and the grief you feel in its place?

sloane crosley is an extremely talented writer and her vulnerability and eloquence shine through in her new book. i know that i'll be coming back to reread this in a bit.

Grief is for People was an excellent read. I loved the mix of dealing with a home invasion burglary but also grieving a close friend's death to suicide. Crosley did not pull any punches in describing how grieving a death, especially one from suicide, is different from other types of death. It was beautifully written.

Sloane Crosley poignantly writes about loss, grief, collective grief, suicide, friendship, and humanity as she recalls losing one of her closest friends to suicide. This book is profound and heavy, but it is so relatable to the common experience when we lose a loved one.

I nodded my head as I read, as her observations and musings struck a chord with my thoughts on loss and grief. She brings in other authors including Joan Didion and other perspectives on grief and loss as she shares her own.

She too had to deal with a home robbery, as I did when I lost my father. She lost one of her dearest friends, and under different circumstances, yet every word resonated with my experience as I am sure it will with other readers.

I realized that I have missed out on a couple more titles by this author, and immediately added these to my 2024 TBR. Cult Classic and Look Alive Out There are on my list.

If you want to read your inner thoughts on life on the page, pick up a Crosley book. She says what many of us are thinking - this portrait of grief is not set out in neat little stages, and I was consoled as a reader witnessing a favorite author grapple with loss just like I had.

Obvious trigger warnings - it's in the title.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
and the author should know that Sloane kept autocorrecting to alone. Not surprised at all. Darkly humorous.
#newbooks #essaycollection #bookstagram #griefbooks #suicide #death #loss #grief

Beautiful essay collection by a favorite author. Loved the way she revealed various aspects of her grief and the story of her friendship over the course of the book.

Didn't finish this - I like Sloane Crosley, but this felt like a continuation of her past work. Not my favorite, but will get a copy in our collection for her fans.

I loved Sloane Crosley’s GRIEF IS FOR PEOPLE. It was powerful and moving and had a unique structure and entry point into the memoir.

this is a book I would gift someone going through it
Crosley talks about grief in such a comforting and level way but still acknowledges the pain and the illogical thinking
Not her easiest book to read but one of her best

This books talks about everything except for grief then remembers it is story about grief. That’s how the book comes alive. It’s memories. It’s not wanting to touch the pain. It's a scrapbook for her working relationship and friendship with Russell. What a way for him to be remembered.

I've been a Sloane Crosley fan since picking up I Was Told There'd Be Cake on a new books table many years ago and laughed all the way through. This memoir has her trademark sharp wit, but the subject matter is heavier than previous books. Crosley weaves together a robbery and the death of a close friend by suicide, both of which happened within a month of each other one summer. Her obsessive quest to recover some of the stolen jewelry is really about the loss of her friend. Some of the steps she takes made me very nervous, but since it's a memoir I knew she was going to be okay in the end.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Holy moly, this little book packs a punch. I am blown away by the authors vulnerability and humour in this memoir, despite its heavy subject matter. A beautiful meditation on grief (of both people and things) and how it evolves over time, this books is incredibly personal, yet universal. We are all touched by grief, and Sloane’s moving words are poetic, a warm embrace we all need when the feeling of losing someone is too much to bear.

A truly stunning read.

I am such a huge fan of Crosley's nonfiction and this book did not disappoint. For anyone coping with abstract grief, Crosley's latest is a must-read.