There are some books that linger in your thoughts long after you've read the last page. After the Funeral and Other Stories by Tessa Hadley is one such book.

After the Funeral and Other Stories is a quiet collection of short stories exploring the many forms of loss that permeate our lives. While many of the featured stories focus on physical death and its impact on those left dealing with the fallout, others are more attuned to the melancholy of lost relationships and missed opportunities. There is an authenticity to the voices that populate this collection making the characters, their observations, and their actions all the more compelling.

Tessa Hadley's writing is vivid, flush with emotion and striking imagery that adds weight to the narratives of the storytellers. Dido's Lament is a particularly haunting tale with a surprisingly effective and intense emotional punch.

Thank you to #Netgalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review on #AftertheFuneralandOtherStories.

Pub date: July 10, 2023

Thank you NetGalley for the the free ebook.

As a funeral director, I can guarantee I’m picking up a book like this based completely on the title.

A collection of short stories, this little book explores death and loss in all its forms—the death of the physical body, the death of familial relationships, the death of childhood. Considering death can be such a heavy topic, I enjoyed the short stories because it mitigated the “heaviness.” Like any short story collection there are stories that stand out more than others. However, Hadley’s writing is consistently good.

This collection will be published July 10, 2023

Thank you NetGalley for the free ebook.

Satisfying short stories written well by Hadley. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed them all! Easy book to get through. Well done. Four stars.

Oh I do love Fessa Harley’s writings. I admit that I skipped one story and while I was a New Yorker reader for many years there is only one familiar story-and thst I read. I love her unexpected endings-I love the twists that she embeds in her tales. A most enjoyable collection.

Tess Hadley is (or should be) one of the undisputed masters of the short story. Her prior collection, Bad Dreams, was outstanding, and it's a pleasure to report that After the Funeral carries on her tradition. Hadley's prose is diamond-sharp, deeply insightful as to human nature, and always surprising. Her crystalline vision and evocative narratives make this collection especially satisfying.

A very interesting and intriguing collection of stories, all with a reoccurring theme.
I really enjoyed how each story was a bit of psychological thriller, but not too twisty and extreme to take you out of it.
Just enough twists and turns.
The stories all have strong emotional feels, exhausting you as you make your way through.