I can’t help but be drawn to stories of grief. Moving forward in the midst of devastation is equally beautiful and tragic. Each grief story feels like an additive instruction manual for processing my own grief. I am so appreciative of the author processing her heartbreak and her moving forward.

Sloane Crosley is one of my favorite writers and I've read each essay collection she's published. It's such a special joy to see a writer you love evolve and improve throughout the years, and even though the subject matter of this collection is heavier, her signature wit and insight is still on display. Her writing is much vulnerable here than in some of her earlier work as she discusses grief, operating in a world that expects you to just move on, and how to adapt to the change we all experience in our lives. The book is full of heart, humor, and honesty, wrapped in Crosley's outstanding prose—what else could you want? I've bought this for a few friends after the suffered losses, and they've all raved about it.

A beautiful, human exploration of grief and how to go on living through difficult times. It felt like Sloane Crosley was speaking directly to me during a difficult time.

There were parts of this book that really worked. Parts that didn’t. Overall I think Crosley hits on the friendship well and the grief of friends. Also the ways those who lose a loved one to suicide rack their brains. Personally I loved the glimpse into book publicity life and mindset.

GRIEF IS FOR PEOPLE is the latest from Sloane Crosley, but a departure from her other work. GRIEF IS FOR PEOPLE is a moving, heavy, lovely read about Crosley's life and the aftermath of two big events: a break-in at her apartment and the death of her close friend and former boss.

Crosley's writing is beautiful and touching, and while the subject matter is heavy and tough at times, the story is beautiful and enjoyable. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for the ARC of GRIEF IS FOR PEOPLE, which I received in exchange for my honest review.

My favorite memoir of 2025! Sloane Crosley, our modern day Joan Didion, is one of my favorite authors and her newest book, "Grief Is for People," blew me away with it's raw honesty and stunning prose. Crosley's unique voice shines in this memoir—humorous, sentimental, and introspective, I loved how deeply personal but also universal she makes her grief and experiences feel while dealing with the tragic loss of her friend and at the same recuperating after having her home broken in to and family jewelry stolen.

I highly recommend this book for anyone that loved "The Year of Magical Thinking" by Joan Didion, "Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved" Kate Bowler, or "In the Dream House," Carmen Maria Machado.

“It's impossible to predict how much you'll miss something when it's gone, to game grief in advance. We fend off the worry that we're taking our lives for granted by feeding ourselves the lie that we understand the value if their components.” - Sloane Crosley "Grief Is for People"

I read this book back-to-back with another suicide memoir (Molly by Blake Butler), and the contrast between the two gave me a bit of whiplash. The voice is characteristic of Sloane Crosley: glib, funny, self-aware, a delight to spend time with. An animated and moving tribute to a particular person and friendship. I found the COVID section at the end pretty stale.

Having lost my best friend of 44 years almost two years, I was very eager to read this as part of my own grief journey. However, I was left with mixed feelings. While the robbery and her friend's suicide were certainly both terrible, life-changing losses, I had difficulty seeing the symbolic connection between the two. I felt that this memoir tried too hard to push that point and it was lost on me.

I was also more than a bit confused and befuddled about this passage:

"As the pandemic settled in, we made an effort not to compete for Most Aggrieved in Group, Ego, as it turns out, is depression's comorbidity, We aimed for solemnity, tried not to let our individual stories bounce off the force fields of other stories. Was this not the imposed collective trial for which the MTA had been training us our entire lives? We are New York strong. We are New York tough.

But who, I wonder, is weak? Pittsburgh?"

What...an odd statement. I think I'd think that even if I wasn't a Pittsburgher. Maybe it's me but I find this really strange, disappointing, and condescending, especially after the Tree of Life shooting. And, you know, we in Pittsburgh experienced the pandemic too.

Will not be reviewing this one further. Thanks for the ARC.

An incredible look at love, friendship, and the wrenching devastation of loss. Suicide grief is such a wildly isolating grief, and it's so hard to process and move through. This book beautifully describes this isolation and confusion, and also manages to be funny, sweet, and healing. Sloane Crossley is such a generous writer.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Grief is for People by Sloane Crosley!

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.

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.