Objects of the Dead

by Margaret Gibson

Reflecting on poignant and universal experience, this nostalgic book examines the death of a loved one and the often uneasy process of living with and discarding the possessions that are left behind—a daughter’s hairbrush, a father’s favorite chair, or a husband’s clothes. Beautifully written and extensively researched, this guide chronicles the issues surrounding inheritance and the power of objects to bind and unbind families. Written from a sociologist’s perspective, this wide-ranging examination of grief is supplemented by firsthand accounts from Australians of various ages and backgrounds. Through personal stories, literature, film, and memoir, the discussion analyzes the difficulties, regrets, and disagreements triggered by the deceased’s belongings.

Genres: Death, Nonfiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2008

About the author

Margaret Gibson is a cultural sociologist and academic at Griffith University. Her books include Objects of the Dead: Mourning and Memory in Everyday Life (MUP, 2008) and the recently co-authored Living and Dying in a Virtual World: Digital Kinships, Nostalgia, and Mourning in Second Life (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018).

Reviews

[Loren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book for a university course but never finished it when I was studying. I am glad that I came back to it. Gibson's book is insightful and intriguing and provides a sensitive and thought-provoking means for engaging with a concept that can be difficult and painful to think about. The book is beautifully textured, with a blend of academic and qualitative research, as well as many touching personal accounts, which together create a poignant and touching study that I believe everyone should read.

[Lauren Castle · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Grieving is the activity of saying goodbye over and over again, of never being able to say goodbye".

This is an extremely thoughtful, interesting, and beautifully written exploration of the relationships between material objects and death. A must read for anyone curious about the process of dealing with a person's possessions once they are no longer alive to make use of them.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are someone who has suffered from a loss of a loved one, or has an interest in Death Studies, then this is a must read book. Gibson draws from a series of interviews she took from individuals who have lost their loved ones and how they related to the Objects left behind. But it is so much more that an analytical work with poetic language and a sensitive insight to a powerful subject-how we face death and the objects that are left behind. The writing will pull you in, the subject matter will hit you hard, and you will end the book with a new perspective on grief and mourning.

[R.B. Lemberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have suffered a major loss recently and I love objects and material culture, so I was really happy to have found this book, but I felt it was boring.