Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Language of Dying by Sarah Pinborough.

This is a short but very full story of a woman talking to her dad, who is on his death bed, about all the events that have led up to his death. It's full of family, and sorrow, and joy, and grief.

Just recently I've been thinking about how grief is it's own form of magic, and there are many books that illustrate the magical thinking that happens when in the throws of bereavement. This is definitely one of them. From the way she talks to her dad, to the way she views her siblings, to the way she looks into the past. It's dreamy, and beautiful, and terrible, the way these things usually are. It's a beautiful and quick read that will stay with you for a long time.

What a beautifully sad story. Family drama, an ailing parent, regrets over time and some hard life lessons. I loved this. Short and to the point, but packed such a punch. Great read!

This was a sad, gut wrenching read that really pulled at the heart strings. The story of a dying father, and death in general. A family learning to say goodbye, and a daughter who is there until the end. Great read, I recommend this to anyone.

Unfortunately I couldn’t connect with this one and didn’t finish it so I can’t honestly review it. This one just isn’t for me but I truly appreciate the opportunity and I thank you kindly!

Very well written. Powerful symbolism with a touch of magical realism. I felt as if I was at the bedside with the narrator. The end was somewhat predictable; in fact, I thought the events of the last chapter would have happened much sooner. The end was not as twisted as Behind Her Eyes, but that's preferable for the storyline.

The Language of Dying by Sarah Pinborough
The Language of Dying is written exquisitely, especially considering the delicate nature of the subject matter it deals with: no surprise here, death. I loved the themes behind the novella, as well as the little touches within the writing, even though the plot and setting lacked behind.

At the end of life, most would want to be surrounded by their loved ones and her family is no different. Having taken care of her father for the last months of his life, the end is finally near and her four other siblings have been called to say their final goodbyes. What becomes clear in these last moments, as the family comes back together, is the cracks within their foundation – the memories within their stories as witness their grieving. However, they all leave and so she must remain at her father’s side, waiting – not only for his eventual and inevitable death – but for something else, a presence that she has been waiting for since she was ten.

What I loved about this book was the atmosphere and the idea behind it. The writing is so beautiful and throughout there is this ominous tone of waiting. The choice to parallel the expectation of death and the ‘presence’ is spot on. It is in these moments of anticipation that anything can happen. Additionally, the whole concept of a language of dying is perfect. It is such a profound observation about language and the ways we have a whole set of rhetoric for dying, full of terms and idioms we do not understand until we are confronted with it.

Within the pages of this novella, our protagonist moves through the stages of grieving that we can only go through when we are witnessing the slow onset of death. In these moments we analyze our lives and our past, sinking into the memories and mistakes. Pinborough lets us inhabit the space between where the protagonist is and where she was before, giving us an up close glance into her life.

That being said, while the writing was atmospheric, I didn’t feel like the actual setting was. This is really a character driven novella, and so the setting is not as rich. Additionally, the actual plot sort of gets lost in between the memories. I know that this is more about the family dynamics and her, so the actual plot of her father dying takes a side seat.

This is more than just a story about a woman witnessing the death of her father, but is full of memories, events that changed her life, and the blurry line between reality and something more. The language in the novel is beautiful and the thought behind it moving. If you’re into a novella based on characters within a family, then this is for you.

I would say this book is short and sweet, but there is nothing sweet about the bitter end of a life, sitting in a bed counting down the minutes. Instead, I can say this short book was an honest look at what happens to families when the glue that holds them together is crumbling away. In this case, the patriarch of the family is dying as his sons and daughters come together for his last moments on Earth. The family dynamic is challenged, the roles each sibling plays in the care of their father are not clearly defined, and the characters struggle through a situation no one knows how to properly handle.

"Even when by rights it has no place left to be, love is hard to kill."

This was my first Sarah Pinborough book, though I want to read Behind Her Eyes, and it was right up my alley. I love books that break apart the human psyche as it is challenged with different trials. Death is the ultimate trial, and most authors tend to shy away from discussing the topic at depth. I love that Sarah tackled the subject, making such a bleak topic the center of her entire book without creating an incredibly depressing story. She instead focused on the ties that bind us.Read more…

I was stunned by the true depiction of a family bond. The past memories of childhood tie people together. However, Pinborough shows how people can know so much about a person and their history without knowing them at all. The family dynamic in this story shows us the true meaning of, "I love you, but I don't like you."

I am also always enamored with books written in a British "accent", so to speak. Much to my delight, the characters immersed me in the dialect. I'm not quite sure how I can be homesick for a country I've never been to, unless I was a Brit in a past life, but I enjoyed being taken abroad through The Language of Dying.

The writing was phenomenal. I was hoping to absorb an iota of Pinborough's talent through osmosis while I was reading. The sentences were dripping with honesty and poetically crafted. Hints of magic were thrown into the mix of this realistic tale, making it all the more interesting. For such a short story to cause a dramatic emotional punch is proof of the author's talent. I will be picking up more of her work as soon as possible for Sarah's writing alone.

NOTE: If someone has experienced the pain that comes with loss, I think this book is a relatable story without breaking apart healed wounds. It may instead help people to feel less lonely in their struggles with the end of a life.


Thank you to Jo Fletcher Books for providing me with a copy of The Language of Dying to review.

This book is written as a letter by a nameless almost 40 year old daughter to her dying father. Her family is "colorful", dysfunctional. And not everyone has a "beautiful death", goes gentle into the night, or "dies with dignity". It's often ugly, painful for everyone, and unleashes powerful emotions in those who must sit by and watch it happen. Dying is often hard work.

It wasn't that long ago I sat at the bedside of my father dying from lymphoma. So why would I want to read a book that dredges up such a painful memory? Because it made me feel not so alone in my feelings. Not every family is perfect or draws emotionally closer at such a time. Nor do all families share the work of caring for a dying parent. (Why is it usually just the one?)

The ending lost me a little bit but otherwise this was a fabulous read.

A wonderful story of love and loss that was beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.

"It's been a long few months and, even though time has folded from the first diagnosis to now, my body and soul know that I have lived through every painful second of it. They sing it to me through aching limbs and a torn heart."

A woman's father is in the last few days of his life, as he is dying from cancer. She has cared for him through his illness, watching his body and his mind deteriorate. She wants his suffering to end, but fears what the end of that suffering will mean for her life.

Her siblings have all come to the house they grew up in, now her house, to pay their last respects. Their family has been fractured emotionally for years, with each of them having suffered traumas, some known and some hidden. But even coming together for one purpose, saying goodbye to their father, is fraught with disaster.

The woman herself has had her share of trauma and tragedy, which has left her angry, somewhat unstable, and knowing she may never have the chance to be happy ever again. But she has given everything she has to care for his father and make his last days as comfortable and secure as possible.

Ever since she was a child, she has had visions of a nameless presence, hulking, alone, and waiting for her. She only sees it at certain moments, and she knows that it will come again. But it is a reunion she fears and welcomes, because what will it mean for her if she finally connects with it?

Sarah Pinborough's Behind Her Eyes (see my original review) was tremendously unforgettable because of its WTF ending, but also because of how her storytelling ability helped the book transcend an immensely implausible plot. But as strong as her writing was in that book, it really didn't prepare me for the sheer power and beauty of her writing in The Language of Dying.

Stripped of any artifice, there is poetry and emotion that characterizes Pinborough's writing in this book. Anyone who has seen a loved one suffer from a terminal illness will probably recognize some of the feelings and situations the narrator experiences, the simultaneous desire and dread that the person's battle will end. But while there are certainly moments that may make you cry, this is not an emotionally manipulative book, but rather a tremendously contemplative one.

If the pain of loss is still fresh, reading this book may reopen those wounds. But this is an immensely beautiful book, one which demands to be read, one which will wow and dazzle on the power of its words and its emotions.

NetGalley and Quercus (US) provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

THE LANGUAGE OF DYING BY SARAH PINBOROUGH

To anybody that has sat at a loved one's bedside and watch them slip from cognition to comatose, because they are dying of cancer this book viscerally twists you inside and out. The narrator remains nameless but is at the family home (she already bought it from her father and distributed the money to her siblings) with her dying father. This authenticates the grief, guilt, just wanting one more moment with your loved one and the myriad scale of emotions to watch somebody you love waste away.

In this particular story all five siblings gather together because the end is very near for their father. The narrator, a 39 year old woman who is divorced has brought her father home to die with her. She is the middle child and is isolated and carries demons literally of her own which none of the other siblings know about. I could feel her anger at two of her siblings so palpably that it snapped, crackled and popped off the pages. I don't know if this is in the horror genre as well as it is a story to deeply connect with and reach some kind of catharsis.

For me I sincerely connected with the death vigil, but thought it to be a bit satanic and that is why I am not sure if this belongs in the horror genre. The ending surely places it squarely there or the alternative is that the narrator goes crazy and needs some medication and mental health care.
It is a slim volume deserving of five stars. The writing is Brilliant. Not your everyday light reading.
I would recommend this to anyone who has watched a loved one slip away.

Thank You to Net Galley, Sarah Pinborough and Quercus for my digital copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and to Quercus books for the review copy.

This was a very short, very emotional read. The narrator's dad is dying. She has been taking care of him for the last couple of months, but the end is near and she calls her sister and 3 brothers to come say good-bye and to help out in the final days.

The expected dysfunctional family situation is a bit worse than expected. What I really appreciated about this book, having done hospice with some of the members of my family for my mom and then spending the last couple days of my dad's life with family in the hospital, was the way she picked up on the nuances of the unspoken baggage we call carry as a family...right to the end.

Great short novel. I'd recommend it.

Watching someone die day after day, especially of someone you love, is emotionally heart-breaking. More so, if you've no one to share your memories, the stories, the day to day caring of a loved one without help.

This woman is watching her father die. She is the middle child ,,, she has 2 older siblings and 2 younger. They have all gathered to be with her and to pay last respects this week. They are not a close knit family. They are all playing the game of being family, but nothing really rings true.

This short story is written in her voice. She talks to her father in her head, remembering what it was like when he was young and strong.... how they all got along, or how they didn't. She sits in the dark sometimes looking at his cancer-ridden body, knowing that it is only days now.

Two of her siblings have had to leave .. promising they will be back...maybe. The remaining two she has chased away and now it's only her and her father.

As she drifts away in her mind, staring out the window ... she sees it. She hasn't seen it in 15 years ... and now she waits.

This was a hard story for me to read .. even harder to try to write a coherent review. Having a personal experience of losing a loved one to cancer, I found this is to an emotionally charged reading. So much I could relate to. I remembered the sorrow ... the times I felt guilty if I laughed.. watched as he left me alone.

It's extremely well-written, pulling from the reader a powerful reaction to her words. It's as though she was with you when you suffered your loss. She's been there.

Many thanks to the author / Quercus (US) / Jo Fletcher Books / Netgalley for the advance digital copy. Opinions expressed her are unbiased and entirely my own.

Emotional read about how someone goes through the motions and memories of her life as her father is dying of cancer. This hit home to me as i lost my father to cancer as well.
Emotional read that draws you in. Loved it
ARC from Netgalley