A profound and imaginative underworld quest from one of Canada’s most beloved and awarded storytellers.

Death is a comedian and devoted family man, but everything falls apart when the Fates choose him to guide departed souls to the Beneath. Having to perform this new role erodes his humanity and causes him to do some perhaps unforgivable things, and when his son dies by suicide, Death realizes he’s likely the one to blame.

Attempting the impossible, Death goes into the Beneath to beg the Fates to allow him to bring back his son. Naturally, things are not what they seem, and Death is then forced to reevaluate everything he knows—everything except the deep love he has for his child.

The Comedian’s Book of the Dead is a fresh and funny page-turner that blends Barwin’s celebrated wit with deeply moving scenes of empathy and compassion. The result is a heartbreaking and humorous journey into the joy and pain of parenthood, and a thoughtful exploration of choice and agency, sacrifice and love.

•A darkly humorous yet tender page-turner with a propulsive plot that explores fundamental, universal issues, including the joys and pains of parenthood, life choices, and death.
•Barwin has written a compelling tale of an underworld quest and a poignant exploration of fathers and sons, sacrifice, and love.
•While neither satire nor parody, the novel employs humour to engage with emotionally and profoundly complex issues.
•Main themes: life, death, fate, guilt, love, making choices in one’s life, a parent’s responsibility to their child, and ultimately allowing their child to take agency.
•Comparable titles are Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders and Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell.
•Offers a moving and poignant examination of father and son relationships at a time when there is much discussion in the world about what it is to be a man and to show vulnerability.