Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin
(Format used for this read: Audiobook)
Gilda, a twenty-something, atheist, animal-loving lesbian, cannot stop ruminating about death. Desperate for relief from her panicky mind and alienated from her repressive family, she responds to a flyer for free therapy at a local Catholic church, and finds herself being greeted by Father Jeff, who assumes she’s there for a job interview. Too embarrassed to correct him, Gilda is abruptly hired to replace the recently deceased receptionist Grace.
In between trying to memorize the lines to Catholic mass, hiding the fact that she has a new girlfriend, and erecting a dirty dish tower in her crumbling apartment, Gilda strikes up an email correspondence with Grace’s old friend. She can’t bear to ignore the kindly old woman who has been trying to reach her friend through the church inbox, but she also can’t bring herself to break the bad news. Desperate, she begins impersonating Grace via email. But when the police discover suspicious circumstances surrounding Grace’s death, Gilda may have to finally reveal the truth of her mortifying existence
This read reminded me SO MUCH of the book “Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine”.
It was a well written examination of the inner thoughts of someone battling anxiety and depression and a peek into how that shows up in their daily lives.
As someone who has dealt with BOTH of those things in my own life and body, I could RELATE to a WHOLE BUNCH of her catastrophic thinking patterns, hypochondriac tailspins and not being able to complete basic every day tasks that seem to be so easy for everyone else.
The author did a tremendous job of encapsulating obtrusive thoughts that anxiety can bring….there were times I was reading I was like “HOLY CRAP, I’m not the only one who has had thoughts like this?!? “
That all sounds very heavy and very serious…and there are spots of the book that it is INDEED this way….but the author also writes with some morbidly dark humor as well.
Because even those of us who struggle with mental health issues can be funny at times lol
It was a weird vibe reading this one, which I think might have been the author’s intent.
And if you are also in the group of us who experience mental health and emotional struggles, it will be an even weirder vibe.
I felt a kinship to Gilda but also felt frustration and irritation and anger at her too.
I laughed a little and also cried a little, smiled and also frowned.
I think the perfect word to say is I felt UNBALANCED while absorbing this story.
Which now that I type it, makes COMPLETE SENSE…because Gilda was unbalanced.
And since I could relate to her on some level, that unease and discomfort really took a hold inside me and made me remember all the times I have felt that unbalance myself.
As wonky as it made me feel, when I finished the book I felt strangely uplifted.
This definitely was a good book in my opinion…and will definitely hit home for many who read it.