Editorial review
Dear Dead Husband
By Carla Young
Books about death don’t normally have readers laughing out loud, but Carla Young’s Dear Dead Husband breaks all the rules.
Reviewed by CANREADS
Books about death don’t normally have readers laughing out loud, but Carla Young’s Dear Dead Husband breaks all the rules.
At the helm of this fictional tale is Eliza, a young widow whose husband, Joseph, passed away two years earlier on their wedding anniversary. Now, she’s trying to get back on her feet with the help of her neighbours, who keep stopping by with mystery casseroles she never asked for, and her mother-in-law, who has blackmailed her into going to therapy. So when her new therapist recommends she writes to Joseph to help her heal, Eliza sarcastically writes to her Dear Dead Husband, which prompts a series of rants brimming with dark humour and harsh truths.
Young is adept at navigating the waves that accompany loss and grief. From the first page, Eliza shares her innermost thoughts with brutal honesty, and while they can occasionally make you shed a tear, most of the time it will be from laughing so hard. Her observations about the casserole brigade, people’s penchant for platitudes, and the challenges of being left alone with your mother-in-law are all too relatable and feel like they belong in a routine from an observational comic. And so, even while tackling the contours of grief, Dear Dead Husband offers a surprisingly delightful read.
Despite the sarcastic snippets, Young crafts a story brimming with depth and nuance. She’s candid about the challenges of grief, such as the need to move on, but not knowing how to when your motivation and reason for living are gone. And her wry commentary on the social niceties that prevail in such situations will definitely make you think twice about how you show your support to someone after they’ve suffered a loss. Young adds complexities to the usual depictions of grief, forcing readers to move through life differently afterward.
As well, Eliza’s ups and downs with loss feel authentic and brilliantly show the beautiful and messy reality of human relationships; no matter how all-consuming and isolating grief feels, there are always other people in it with you. Whether they’ve lost someone too or are just trying to support you, as Eliza discovers, it’s always just a little bit complicated.
For fans of This is Us and those who love exploring the intricacies of human relationships, Dear Dead Husband is a must-read. Hilarious, heartfelt, and helpful, Eliza brings a gallows humour twist to trying times. An exceptional debut author, Carla Young is one to watch, and fans will be thrilled to know she has more witty and relatable tales coming soon.
—CANREADS BOOK REVIEW
Published by Tangent Ideas