The End of Me

by John Gould

56 very short stories about death from Giller Prize finalist John Gould
The End of Me is an astonishing set of sudden stories about the experience of mortality. With an ear attuned to the uncanny and the ironic, John Gould catches his characters at moments of illumination as they encounter the mystery of their finite being. A marooned astronaut bonds with a bereft cat; kids pelt a funeral procession with plums; a young girl ponders the brief brutality of her last life, and braces herself for the next one.
Rife with invention, with fresh ideas and arresting voices, this collection of flash fiction shimmers with compassion and vitality.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

280 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2020

About the author

There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[chantal d · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mix of many very short stories, some more memorable than others. Overall, some beautiful writing and so many different takes on death.

[Catherine Chao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every story of this book was amazing.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his third collection of very short fiction, Giller Prize finalist (in 2003 for Kilter) John Gould turns his laser focus on death in its infinite variety. A whole book about death might seem intimidating, or, to some, simply depressing. But by approaching the subject from every conceivable angle and constructing his stories using a profusion of refreshing and startling perspectives, Gould keeps his reader guessing and slightly off balance throughout the volume. After a while, seduced by these moving, ironic, insightful, and cleverly subversive snapshot dramas, it’s easy to forget that you’re reading about death and dying at all. Indeed, in much the same way that the nature of the eventual demise that awaits all of us is impossible to predict, we never know quite what to expect from Gould’s stories. In “Sunday Morning” Theresa sends a birthday greeting on Facebook to her friend Simon only to discover by scrolling through posts further down on his page that he’s been dead for two years. In “Dreams of Love,” two sisters console each other in the wake of their brother’s death by invoking his mischievous spirit in the office of the funeral director. In “Stage,” a gay man mourning his husband’s death ruminates on the stages of grief, though he’s been assured by his psychologist that such stages don’t actually exist and that everyone grieves in their own way. And in “Skeletal,” a couple is bemused when their school-age daughter decides to do her science project on the “five stages of decomposition.” It is true that the shadow of death—what death means, the physical mechanism by which death occurs, what comes after—hovers over every page. But just as you can’t have order without chaos, or light without darkness, it turns out that you can’t contemplate death for very long without also giving some consideration to life. As strange as it might seem, The End of Me is a lively, humane, uplifting book, filled with compassion and written with deep affection for its characters. It’s a book that rewards repeated readings: you will find yourself dipping back in, trying to decide which of these 56 artfully crafted vignettes is your favourite. And, finally, it poses something of a conundrum: how is it possible for a book about death to have so much to say about being alive?

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Individually, these 56 "sudden stories" run the gamut from humorous voice-driven pieces to quieter stories that ask some deeper questions. Cumulatively, they feel like more than the sum of their parts, inviting readers to consider the many different ways we cope with our mortality (e.g. by trying to live well, by dying with dignity, by seizing the day, and by rage-rage-raging against the dying of the light...all while trying to avoid getting hit by a barrage of overripe plums...).

[Liz Rachel Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The End of Me, John Gould uses flash fiction to explore life, death, and happiness from an amazing number of angles. The characters feel utterly authentic as they deal with questions in their worlds, and I often wanted to pause and reflect. The language and imagery are lovely, too, as is the humour. A beautiful read.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's absolutely amazing how many different takes on death and the culture of death that Gould has come up with it. You will pause many times and meditate on what you've read.

Highly, highly recommended.

[Susan Scruton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of very short pieces about mortality and dying. It's pretty funny. As with most collections, some pieces are better than others. My favourites are Via Negativa, Darjeeling, Something Apart, About Me, Frantic, Shrub, The Purpose of Life, and Machu Picchu.

[Louella Lester · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love short-short or flash or sudden stories and I loved this book. In each story so much said in so few words.

[Chahula · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Worth losing sleep over"

[Pamk · Rating 2 out of 5]

So many short stories...some enjoyable, some just weird, and some unfathomable. The common theme was dying/death, explored from almost every conceivable angle. Just an okay read for me.