Little Deaths All in a Row: Essays on Sex and Death

by Elizabeth Earley, Nicole Roberts (Illustrator)

Little Deaths All in a Essays on Sex and Death, is a personal, philosophical, and scientific journey. While at first glance sex and death may seem diametrically opposed, in these essays Earley uses her intimate encounters to illustrate the ways in which they are unexpectedly and inextricably linked. Using her personal experiences as a queer mother, a volunteer hospice caretaker, and a scientist as a multi-faceted lens through which to view these topics, she offers readers new ways to think about what it means to be alive, even in the face of death.

The essays in this book are in continuous and direct conversation with one driven by intellect, scientific insights, and emotional power, they forge insightful connections between sex and death that illuminate and interrogate two of the central truths of our human sexual and mortal. In the tradition of Carmen Maria Machado's In the Dream House, Alex Marzano-Lesnevich's The Fact of a Body, and Melissa Febos's Abandon Me, Little Deaths All in a Row aims to spark a dialogue between the rational sphere of the brain and the intuitive realm of the body; between the erotic choices we make, and the end-of-life choices we are not always able to make, but are witnessed by others. This is the narrative mystery that serves as the engine of the book.

Embodied in the work is the gamut of Earley's erotic experiences of queer love, both the ecstasy and the heartbreak. She dives into the struggles and joys of her life as a mother of two children in a non-traditional, queered family structure.

As a hospice care volunteer, she is continually at the forefront of others' experiences of death and dying, and the very different processes each person goes through. As a scientist, she has studied the brain chemistry of death, and has stared down traumatic memories of her own near-fatal wounds, searching for links between pain and pleasure, temporary moments of release, and permanent endings.

Advanced Praise for Little Deaths All in a

"Shades of Carmen Machado's In the Dream House, and I mean that as a galactic compliment . . . What an intriguing, compelling helix . . . Intellectually exciting and driven by a kind of heart-quest. SO THRILLING to see the 'mono story' of motherhood and marriage and sex blown to bits from the get-go." --Lidia Yuknavitch, author of The Chronology of Water

"This vulnerable, cerebral, emotional, and powerful work will take you to unexpected, magical, and utterly mysterious places." --Emily Rapp Black, author of The Still Point of the Turning World

236 pages, Paperback

Published September 16, 2025

About the author

Elizabeth Earley is the author of two novels, A Map of Everything, which was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award, and Like Wings, Your Hands, which won the Women's Prose Prize at Red Hen Press (judged by Aimee Bender). Earley holds a BA in Creative Writing and an MFA in Fiction from Antioch University Los Angeles. Her stories and essays have appeared in Glimmer Train, Time Out Magazine, The Chicago Reader, Geek Magazine, Outside Magazine, Gnome Magazine, Hyper Text Magazine, The Windy City Times, Hayden’s Ferry Review, The First Line Magazine, Fugue, Hair Trigger, Role/Reboot, Ms. Fit Magazine, Hoot, and other publications. Earley won the David Friedman Memorial Prize for fiction, was a finalist for the 2011 Able Muse Write Prize for Fiction and for the Bakeless Literary Prize for Fiction. She is also an editor at Jaded Ibis Press.

Reviews

[Nicole Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Deaths All in a Row reads like the diary of a scientist—a little nerdy, deeply poetic, and utterly unafraid to examine the rawest corners of intimacy, regret, and mortality. Earley isn’t fearless; she’s brave in the face of her fears, blending scientific inquiry with spiritual musings in a way that is both intellectually compelling and profoundly human. Collaborating on the 17 illustrations for this book over the past year was an incredible journey, and I’m honored to have contributed to such an honest and luminous work.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the very first paragraph, this book drew me in completely. I had no idea what to expect, but the author’s storytelling immediately made me feel welcomed into her world. It was as if she reached out and invited me on an unforgettable journey—a testament to truly exceptional writing. Bravo! It is refreshing to encounter a book that not only captivates but also reminds us of the beauty of well-crafted prose. I met her at the feminist bookstore and got a signed copy of her book. Thank you truly 💛

[Wayne Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean, first of all, that cover by Nicole Roberts; those lovely illustrations throughout the text. What an entry to this collection of homilies on sex and death, which are much more connected that one would think before communing with this author.

Earley is elegant, insightful writer, equally steeped in art and science. There's a deep, fearless honesty here that will move you.

Thanks to Jaded Ibis for the review copy at AWP!