What do you think?
Rate this book
Unrest
Mortician Mylène Andrews spends her days dealing with death, but has never quite figured out how to live. After her estranged mother passes away, adult-orphaned Mylène sets out in her hearse to see the graveyards her mother visited before her death, guided by a collection of unsent postcards and the residual wake of a tragedy long-considered buried.
With an aversion to black, a colourful vintage wardrobe, and a caustic sense of humour, Mylène has always subverted expectations of how a funeral director should be. Over the course of her trip this helps her become an unlikely media sensation, as she encounters a smattering of strange characters and settings, including intrepid reporters, pesky rodents, and burial sites requiring scuba gear.
Brisk, observational, and darkly comic, Unrest is both a road trip story and a touching eulogy on life, death, and what we leave behind.
With an aversion to black, a colourful vintage wardrobe, and a caustic sense of humour, Mylène has always subverted expectations of how a funeral director should be. Over the course of her trip this helps her become an unlikely media sensation, as she encounters a smattering of strange characters and settings, including intrepid reporters, pesky rodents, and burial sites requiring scuba gear.
Brisk, observational, and darkly comic, Unrest is both a road trip story and a touching eulogy on life, death, and what we leave behind.
128 pages, Paperback
Published March 18, 2022
1 person is currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Emma Côté
3 books18 followersEmma Côté is from a small town in Northern Ontario, where the winters were long but the books were aplenty. As a result, she went on to study journalism, English literature and creative writing and most recently completed a postgraduate certificate in publishing. When Emma isn’t re-reading or re-writing a novel, she can be found taking walks in the forest, and asking people if she can pet their dog.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 11, 2023
Brilliantly written in the first person, this darkly comic novella speaks directly to the reader, much as if you were sitting down for a cup of tea with the protagonist who is telling you her life story.
Mortician and Funeral Director Mylène Andrews is thirty-three years of age. Though skilled at her job, she doesn’t have much of a life. Almost friendless (with the exception of a rag-tag group of female acquaintances in her book-club), and with no immediate family or pets, Mylène is lonely, though seemingly unaware that she is so… She is the very antithesis of what you might imagine a mortician would look like. She dresses in bright, flamboyant vintage clothes and wears her auburn hair in retro victory rolls.
“If you tell yourself you don’t care for long enough, eventually you don’t.”
Mylène‘s father died when she was only eleven, at which time her mother withdrew from life in her grief. She has been estranged from her mother for fifteen years, but has been notified that her mother has recently passed away. When she goes to her childhood home to clean out some of her mother’s things she discovers some old postcards that were addressed to her but never mailed. They recount her mother’s travels to various cemeteries around the country.
Taphophile (n.) – a person who has a passion for cemeteries and gravesites.
In a way of honouring her mother’s life, Mylène decides to throw a sleeping bag in her hearse and take a road trip mirroring her mother’s travels. Mylène has always been fascinated by cemeteries, and this is the only vacation she has ever had.
What results is a road trip like no other. In Philadelphia she meets up with a journalist who becomes a true friend. That boomerangs into Mylène becoming somewhat of a media sensation. In her travels she experiences new things and meets many new people. She begins to realize that she has been missing out by living her sheltered life in Cleveland. She begins to question the ethics and environmental implications of the funeral industry.
With a denouement that will satisfy all readers, this was a great little read. I enjoyed the humour and the plot. The protagonist is one you won’t soon forget. Recommended!
Mortician and Funeral Director Mylène Andrews is thirty-three years of age. Though skilled at her job, she doesn’t have much of a life. Almost friendless (with the exception of a rag-tag group of female acquaintances in her book-club), and with no immediate family or pets, Mylène is lonely, though seemingly unaware that she is so… She is the very antithesis of what you might imagine a mortician would look like. She dresses in bright, flamboyant vintage clothes and wears her auburn hair in retro victory rolls.
“If you tell yourself you don’t care for long enough, eventually you don’t.”
Mylène‘s father died when she was only eleven, at which time her mother withdrew from life in her grief. She has been estranged from her mother for fifteen years, but has been notified that her mother has recently passed away. When she goes to her childhood home to clean out some of her mother’s things she discovers some old postcards that were addressed to her but never mailed. They recount her mother’s travels to various cemeteries around the country.
Taphophile (n.) – a person who has a passion for cemeteries and gravesites.
In a way of honouring her mother’s life, Mylène decides to throw a sleeping bag in her hearse and take a road trip mirroring her mother’s travels. Mylène has always been fascinated by cemeteries, and this is the only vacation she has ever had.
What results is a road trip like no other. In Philadelphia she meets up with a journalist who becomes a true friend. That boomerangs into Mylène becoming somewhat of a media sensation. In her travels she experiences new things and meets many new people. She begins to realize that she has been missing out by living her sheltered life in Cleveland. She begins to question the ethics and environmental implications of the funeral industry.
With a denouement that will satisfy all readers, this was a great little read. I enjoyed the humour and the plot. The protagonist is one you won’t soon forget. Recommended!
October 13, 2023
I can’t remember the last time I consciously loved a book while I was reading it. This book is definitely a feel good read but in a quirky adventuresome way.
The main character’s naïveté is believable and endearing. Her growth over the course of the story is also believable and the seemingly mundane plot allows the reader to focus on Mylène’s many new experiences.
I absolutely loved this story and will have to return my library copy and go buy it now as it is definitely a book I’ll want to read again.
The main character’s naïveté is believable and endearing. Her growth over the course of the story is also believable and the seemingly mundane plot allows the reader to focus on Mylène’s many new experiences.
I absolutely loved this story and will have to return my library copy and go buy it now as it is definitely a book I’ll want to read again.
May 23, 2022
What a lovely lovely quiet little book - emphasis on little - and it’s another debut to boot. This will clearly be up at the top of my favourites list this year.
Essentially a novella - written for, and winning, the 2020 3-Day Novel Contest - you can’t help but fall in love with the voice of the narrator, Mylene, as she goes off on the first adventure of her life. Reminiscent of both The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, Mylene’s journey of discovery and reconciliation - with her mother, recently passed, and with whom she hadn’t had any contact for fifteen years - will bring a smile to your face and a tear to your eye.
Besides that I will say little else, because, this is another one that needs to be read with no preconceived notions or expectations (although I guess I’ve already set up the expectations part…).
Highly recommended.
Essentially a novella - written for, and winning, the 2020 3-Day Novel Contest - you can’t help but fall in love with the voice of the narrator, Mylene, as she goes off on the first adventure of her life. Reminiscent of both The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, Mylene’s journey of discovery and reconciliation - with her mother, recently passed, and with whom she hadn’t had any contact for fifteen years - will bring a smile to your face and a tear to your eye.
Besides that I will say little else, because, this is another one that needs to be read with no preconceived notions or expectations (although I guess I’ve already set up the expectations part…).
Highly recommended.
May 25, 2022
I FORGOT TO REVIEW THIS DELIGHTFUL LITTLE NOVELLA BUT HOLY HECK I REALLY ENJOYED IT. It felt like it was written just for me. It’s about a mortician who is distanced from her mom, and then her mom dies and she goes on a road trip in a hearse visiting cemeteries and… oh my god what does this say about me? 😂
Anyway, the book was cute, quirky, funny and packed a bunch in a small little package!
This one was gifted to me by Anvil Press and ZG stories. Thanks so much for this sweet little read!
Anyway, the book was cute, quirky, funny and packed a bunch in a small little package!
This one was gifted to me by Anvil Press and ZG stories. Thanks so much for this sweet little read!
December 28, 2022
This is a delightful, quick read with a very memorable main character. Mylène is a vintage-loving mortician who goes on a roadtrip to cemeteries around the US in an effort to deal with grief following a loss. While the story is full of themes of death and loss, it's still quite warm and really isn't dark and depressing. Highly recommend!
May 2, 2022
Côté’s mordant sense of humour is heartwarming.
How did the book make me feel/think?
I feared this book. It’s about a woman (mortician) embarking on a trip to find herself and an understanding of her and her mother’s frayed relationship → lost in the complexities of living.
How can a small book pack such a powerful punch?
Côté’s delicious humour is sprinkled throughout the pages, softening the blow it would deliver to many readers.
I was born in a religion sanctioned home for women deemed wayward, and feeble-minded. If the mothers and babies survived (many didn’t—do residential schools spring to mind?), the babies were usually ripped out of their mother’s arms and adopted out to farm families or sold to wealthy couples → never to be spoken of again. A shame to family, community, and religion. I was one of those babies. The night they were coming to take me away (1963), while alongside my mother’s deathbed (2016), she confessed she had begged her mother (my mother) to keep me. I was never supposed to know the truth.
Until I accidentally found out, I watched “my mother” take her last breath (1987), only to find out 16 years later. My life started out as a lie → Hence meeting my real birth mother alongside her deathbed.
The week before her mother died, I had to drive " her mother” to the hospital; we stopped on the steps of our home, and “her mother” looked at me through tear-stained eyes and said, “I’m never going to be home again, am I?”
I lied.
In October 2016, as I walked out of my mother’s hospital room, she looked at me through tear-stained eyes and said, “I’m never going to see you again, am I?”
What does any of this have to do with Unrest?
Unrest, as much as it is a quirky read, it is eons more; it connected profoundly with me, comforted my heart, helping me let go of some of the disdain I have been carrying throughout life toward those who took part in the lie of who I am?
Côté’s mordant sense of humour is heartwarming, making this hundred-page book a masterpiece much larger than the page count suggests.
WRITTEN: 30 April 2022
How did the book make me feel/think?
I feared this book. It’s about a woman (mortician) embarking on a trip to find herself and an understanding of her and her mother’s frayed relationship → lost in the complexities of living.
How can a small book pack such a powerful punch?
Côté’s delicious humour is sprinkled throughout the pages, softening the blow it would deliver to many readers.
I was born in a religion sanctioned home for women deemed wayward, and feeble-minded. If the mothers and babies survived (many didn’t—do residential schools spring to mind?), the babies were usually ripped out of their mother’s arms and adopted out to farm families or sold to wealthy couples → never to be spoken of again. A shame to family, community, and religion. I was one of those babies. The night they were coming to take me away (1963), while alongside my mother’s deathbed (2016), she confessed she had begged her mother (my mother) to keep me. I was never supposed to know the truth.
Until I accidentally found out, I watched “my mother” take her last breath (1987), only to find out 16 years later. My life started out as a lie → Hence meeting my real birth mother alongside her deathbed.
The week before her mother died, I had to drive " her mother” to the hospital; we stopped on the steps of our home, and “her mother” looked at me through tear-stained eyes and said, “I’m never going to be home again, am I?”
I lied.
In October 2016, as I walked out of my mother’s hospital room, she looked at me through tear-stained eyes and said, “I’m never going to see you again, am I?”
What does any of this have to do with Unrest?
Unrest, as much as it is a quirky read, it is eons more; it connected profoundly with me, comforted my heart, helping me let go of some of the disdain I have been carrying throughout life toward those who took part in the lie of who I am?
Côté’s mordant sense of humour is heartwarming, making this hundred-page book a masterpiece much larger than the page count suggests.
WRITTEN: 30 April 2022
May 23, 2022
Wow!
This short novel packs a punch.We meet mortician Mylène Andrews and what begins is a conversation with her about her life. Mylène has just lost her estranged mother and discovered a set of unsent postcards. This leads Mylėne to retrace her mother's steps on a slightly morbid road trip visiting cemetaries.
While Unrest is about death and dealing with the aftermath, there is a humour and lightness that underlines it. Mylène tells us from the beginning that the story has a happy ending and she is right. Even in this short story, you forget this little tidbit and root for Mylène to make it out the other side.
I loved Mylène - her character was witty and relatable. I loved that this was like having a chat with a friend. This book was perfect.
It also included this lovely quote which made me laugh out loud and might just be one of the best quotes:
"What's that thing that says that people who read books are basically just staring at a dead tree and hallucinating?"
I would highly recommend this book to anyone. It does deal with death and loss so should be read with caution, but it really made me think about what happens when we lose someone and is much lighter than expected.
Huge thanks to ZG Stories for providing me with a gifted copy
This short novel packs a punch.We meet mortician Mylène Andrews and what begins is a conversation with her about her life. Mylène has just lost her estranged mother and discovered a set of unsent postcards. This leads Mylėne to retrace her mother's steps on a slightly morbid road trip visiting cemetaries.
While Unrest is about death and dealing with the aftermath, there is a humour and lightness that underlines it. Mylène tells us from the beginning that the story has a happy ending and she is right. Even in this short story, you forget this little tidbit and root for Mylène to make it out the other side.
I loved Mylène - her character was witty and relatable. I loved that this was like having a chat with a friend. This book was perfect.
It also included this lovely quote which made me laugh out loud and might just be one of the best quotes:
"What's that thing that says that people who read books are basically just staring at a dead tree and hallucinating?"
I would highly recommend this book to anyone. It does deal with death and loss so should be read with caution, but it really made me think about what happens when we lose someone and is much lighter than expected.
Huge thanks to ZG Stories for providing me with a gifted copy
August 7, 2022
Mylène Andrews became a mortician because of the practicality of the job - people will always be dying.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
At thirty three years old she receives a phone all to come settle her mothers estate, even though they have been estranged for 15 years. Mylène finds a stack of postcards, addresses to herself, outlining a road trip her mother embarked on sometime before her death. Mylène decides to follow the road trip to see what she can learn about the woman she barely knew.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Coming in with fewer than one hundred pages, I wasn't sure what to expect from Unrest. To say I was blown away is a complete understatement.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Some of what I liked (in bullet points cause I'm feeling short and sweet after this quick read)
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- Mylène's change from being a 'loner' to enjoying and appreciating others
- epic cross country road trip (including two locations I've actually been!)
- fascinating conversation about the affects on the earth from common funeral practices
- commentary on different cultures death practices
-comedy aspects as her trip becomes a social media sensation
- exploring the different ways people find closure when grieving
- epistolary-esque format!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I highly recommend picking this great Canadian read up!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
At thirty three years old she receives a phone all to come settle her mothers estate, even though they have been estranged for 15 years. Mylène finds a stack of postcards, addresses to herself, outlining a road trip her mother embarked on sometime before her death. Mylène decides to follow the road trip to see what she can learn about the woman she barely knew.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Coming in with fewer than one hundred pages, I wasn't sure what to expect from Unrest. To say I was blown away is a complete understatement.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Some of what I liked (in bullet points cause I'm feeling short and sweet after this quick read)
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- Mylène's change from being a 'loner' to enjoying and appreciating others
- epic cross country road trip (including two locations I've actually been!)
- fascinating conversation about the affects on the earth from common funeral practices
- commentary on different cultures death practices
-comedy aspects as her trip becomes a social media sensation
- exploring the different ways people find closure when grieving
- epistolary-esque format!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I highly recommend picking this great Canadian read up!
April 28, 2022
Mylene Andrews is a mortician who has been estranged from her mother for years. When she finds out that her mother has died, she travels back home to deal with the sale of her mother's belongings, only to find a stash of unsent postcards written to her. Apparently her mother traveled to cemeteries all over the US after she found out she was dying with the hopes of reconnecting with her daughter in this way. The road trip Mylene takes following this discovery changes her in a profound way.
Though it is just about the shortest book I've ever read (95 pages), it is one of the most poignant. This story was the winner of the 43rd Annual 3-Day Novel Contest back in 2020...and rightfully so! Its themes of common bonds and familial connection are so tender and deep, it's hard to not get sucked into the humanity that unfolds. Though we never find out why Mylene and her mother became estranged, I was rooting for them both and hoping they could enjoy one last hug. Of course that didn't happen, but sometimes it takes death to make us understand the value of our intertwined lives. Even beyond the grave, people in our lives have so much to impart.
Though it is just about the shortest book I've ever read (95 pages), it is one of the most poignant. This story was the winner of the 43rd Annual 3-Day Novel Contest back in 2020...and rightfully so! Its themes of common bonds and familial connection are so tender and deep, it's hard to not get sucked into the humanity that unfolds. Though we never find out why Mylene and her mother became estranged, I was rooting for them both and hoping they could enjoy one last hug. Of course that didn't happen, but sometimes it takes death to make us understand the value of our intertwined lives. Even beyond the grave, people in our lives have so much to impart.
April 26, 2022
This is hands down the best 3 day novel contest winning book I've read (and I have read several). Mortician Myléne Andrews creates a media frenzy as she road trips to several cities' cemeteries by hearse, reading a post card from her estranged mother at each one. It's quirky, fun, relatable, tear provoking (in a good way) and delves into some fascinating aspects of the death business. (The environmental aspects are particularly relevant and interesting.) And now I ALMOST want to learn to scuba dive so I can see the underwater cemetery in Key Biscayne, Florida! Almost. Highly recommend and looking forward to more books by this talented author.
October 19, 2022
Thoughtful, well paced, dark and funny.
There is so much packed into this pocket sized novel. Adventure, grief, loneliness, humour, celebrity and environmentalism, all come together elegantly in this story about one of the most complicated relationships there is- mother/daughter.
Would highly recommend.
The novella format makes it so fun to read again and again.
Emma Côté is a force.
Looking forward to reading her next piece.
There is so much packed into this pocket sized novel. Adventure, grief, loneliness, humour, celebrity and environmentalism, all come together elegantly in this story about one of the most complicated relationships there is- mother/daughter.
Would highly recommend.
The novella format makes it so fun to read again and again.
Emma Côté is a force.
Looking forward to reading her next piece.
October 16, 2022
Unrest is a quietly funny read, and given the back of the book information, no one should be surprised. I found the main character engaging, the plot was relatable, interesting and easy to read. There is a satisfying rightness to the ending. I'll read more by Emma Côté.
September 15, 2022
A touching novella.
October 20, 2022
Obsessed. Need more from Emma Côté asap.
February 10, 2023
So good!
February 26, 2023
This short story feels incredibly long due to its meandering narrative. It’s frankly a bit of a mess.
December 8, 2024
A beautiful ode to our inevitable demise, and the feelings surrounding our journey toward it and beyond.
May 29, 2022
Very impressive debut! I am especially captivated with the development of the main character Mylène. Mylène is a round, dynamic character who is both likeable and relatable while also being wholly unique and yet completely believable. That’s an impressive set of features to combine in one character – and in only 90 pages. Also, Côté skillfully manages to counterbalance the morbid with witty humor, and the solemnity of death and broken mother-daughter relationships with self-reflection and healing. The language is impeccable, the plotline is tight, and the story is exceptional. Well worth a read!
May 18, 2022
Mylène is a mortician who, after learning of her estranged mother's passing, embarks on the same trip that her mother took before her death.
Under 100 pages, Unrest is the shortest book that I have ever read. What it lacked in page count, it made up for with thought-provoking narrative.
It was impossible not to adore Mylène. Her journey was just as much about connecting with herself as it was with her mother.
I loved the commentary on normalizing discussions around death and how there could be more separation between grief and tradition.
Despite the themes of loss and familial relationships, this was not a sad story, but rather quite uplifting. The humour was unexpected and it definitely gave life to the story.
Under 100 pages, Unrest is the shortest book that I have ever read. What it lacked in page count, it made up for with thought-provoking narrative.
It was impossible not to adore Mylène. Her journey was just as much about connecting with herself as it was with her mother.
I loved the commentary on normalizing discussions around death and how there could be more separation between grief and tradition.
Despite the themes of loss and familial relationships, this was not a sad story, but rather quite uplifting. The humour was unexpected and it definitely gave life to the story.
June 11, 2022
This is about a funeral director whose Mother passes away - they had a strained relationship, but she decides to tour the US and see all the gravesites her mom visited before she passed following a trail of postcards her mom left. It was a cute, emotional read and I enjoyed it (but, with most short books, I wanted a little more!)
December 10, 2022
I loved this book. The narrative captured me right away, and the character development was so intriguing I was thinking about the lead character for many weeks after finishing the book. Very well done. The addition of a reading soundtrack really made this book a full experience!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews