The Joy of Funerals: A Novel in Stories

by Alix Strauss

A young widow who lusts, a daughter who aches, a shopaholic who hungers... The Joy of Funerals is a riveting collection that explores the lives of nine young women, each willing to take drastic measures to fill the voids created by longing and loneliness. The first eight face death differently, while the ninth woman Nina ties them all together by attending funerals in her search to connect with others.

Written with raw wit, mordant humor and a uniquely penetrating voice, Strauss turns the spotlight on loss and grief. In the vein of Six Feet Under , this is a provocative look into the inner world of those left behind, and those still holding on.

"The desire for human connection runs throughout Alix Strauss's dark and spirited novel, The Joy of Funerals ." - Vanity Fair

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Chick Lit

259 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Alix Strauss is a trend, culture and lifestyle journalist; an award-winning, four-time published author; speaker; and frequent contributor to The New York Times.

Her books include: The Joy of Funerals (St. Martin’s Press & Palagram Press), Based Upon Availability (Harper Collins), and Death Becomes Them: Unearthing the Suicides of the Brilliant, the Famous and the Notorious (Harper Collins). She is also the editor of Have I Got a Guy for You (Simon & Schuster), an anthology of mother-coordinated dating horror stories. Her work has been optioned for several TV and film projects.

A media-savvy social satirist, she has been a featured lifestyle, travel, and trend writer on national morning and talk shows including ABC, CBS, CNN, and the Today Show. During the past 25 years she has written over 1500 articles. Her articles, which have appeared in Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Conde Nast Traveler, the Financial Times, Time Magazine, and Departures, among others, and cover a range of topics from trends in beauty, travel, and food to celebrity interviews.

The Joy of Funerals is an Ingram Award winner and was named Best Debut Novel by The New York Resident. Alix was the inaugural “First Chapters” pick, Cosmopolitan Magazine’s new launchpad of fiction excerpts, giving readers exclusive sneak peeks of gripping new work. Her essays and short fiction have appeared in the Primavera Literary Journal, Hampton Shorts Literary Journal, The Idaho Review, Quality Women's Fiction, The Blue Moon Café III, Sex, Drugs & Gefilte Fish: The Heeb Storytelling Collection, and A Kudzu Christmas. Her short story, “Shrinking Away”, won the David Dornstein Creative Writing Award. She is the recipient of several awards and fellowships from programs such as the Wesleyan Writers Conference, the Skidmore College Writerʼs Institute, the Sarah Lawrence Summer Program, and the Squaw Valleyʼs Screenwritersʼ Summer Program.

Alix lectures extensively and has been a keynote speaker, moderator, or panelist at over 200 conferences, symposiums, seminars, and summits including The Southern Festival of Books, The Northwest Bookfest, The New England’s Writer’s Conference, Wesleyan Writer’s Conference, The 92nd Street Y, New York University, Center for Communications, University of Connecticut, and Columbia University. She was chosen to speak at the National Jewish Book Festival and is on the National Speakers Bureau for Israeli Bonds.

Alix Lives in Manhattan.

Reviews

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 20th Anniversary Edition of The Joy of Funerals is a powerful collection written with raw wit, mordant humor, and a uniquely penetrating voice as it spotlights loss, grief, and loneliness. The novel is eight short stories. In each short story, you meet a woman who has suffered a tremendous loss. Some are funny. Some are humorous. Some are dark. Some are very grief-stricken. Then, you have the novella, which links the previous stories together. It's about Nina, a funeral-attending junkie who really can't connect with anyone in her life. So, she goes to funerals for these intensified, very intimate experiences so that she can be part of something bigger than herself. Now, you meet all the women you've already read about, but you also get a second version of who they are. Everything you know is sort of changed a little bit.

Each story can stand on its own, but I loved the reunion-like quality of the novella about Nina that tied the book together. It was like the comfort of seeing people you already know but haven't seen for years. The concept of all that happening at a funeral while paying respects, remembering someone, and celebrating a life was fascinating. I also couldn’t help but notice the physicality in The Joy of Funerals in the form of characters hooking up with each other, which probably happens during times of extreme loss. The characters in The Joy of Funerals are strange and complex, and the stories are humorous and often heartbreaking, but the book is definitely worth reading.

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at: https://www.momsdonthavetimetoreadboo...

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bizarre, funny, breathtaking in parts, witty. Favorite paragraph in Still Life: (In her nightmare)...She cracks open his chest (husband Brandon), spreads his rib cage apart, and reaches deep inside his body. She removes paint brushes, swatches of canvas, scholarship letters, and awards she won in college. Last to come out is part of her own heart. All things Brandon has digested." What a remarkable bit of writing...leaves no doubt how the protagonist feels, regardless of whether she's right or wrong:)

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premises of the stories were funny, but overall the book was not to my taste.

[stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

how disappointing.

it's really nine stories connected by a cemetery and a series of women who deal with loneliness after death in different ways.

frankly, i was slightly disturbed by the first story and don't think i got over it, and i'm not one that is easily disturbed. after that i was just kind of bored and paging through.

it had such potential . . .

[Rachel Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I understand why this book may not appeal to everyone, but I absolutely loved it.

It is not your typical “women's” novel about dating or friendships or life in the big city. It is technically not even a novel at all but a collection of short stories tied together with a unifying theme followed by one longer story that actually ties together the disparate characters.

Instead of taking you deep into the mind of one protagonist, it explores life and loneliness through multiple vignettes, using death and funerals as symbolism. It is a very different reading experience, but I thought it was extremely poignant, funny, and even relatable. I read these characters and situations as representative of our deepest fears about ourselves, our worst characteristics, our lowest moments. The woman who finds herself attracted to the burglar symbolizes the human tendency to conflate love with excitement. The feeling of familial camaraderie during a funeral—especially in a family that struggles to express emotions—is explored through a character who takes it to the extreme and begins to attend the funerals of strangers. It is absurd, but that is what makes it a successful metaphor. And the absurdity and shock in this book is what really kept me turning pages. Some of the short stories were stronger than others but as a whole I think the book is really fabulous.

[Edward P · Rating 5 out of 5]

We received the ARC from the publisher of the anniversary edition. Not long ago. It made the rounds in the office. Its a quick read and I have to say, the book draws you in. Its vivid, its relatable, especially if you live in Manhattan 😉 and its very timely. You can read this book in a couple of nights, simply because its kinda hard to put down. I can see it as a movie or a Netflix series.

[Marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, unusual, sometimes dark but not depressing.

[Misty · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. It was unrelatable for me.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mostly just felt uncomfortable and weird while reading all of the stories.

[Nashad Mohamed]

The more you read the more you think better

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was difficult but mainly because the loneliness is hard to read about.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my opinion, the characters weren’t fully developed and the ending wasn’t satisfactory. However I did love the chapter setup and the premise of the book. Probably wouldn’t read again but I would recommend it to others.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't like this book very much. I almost quit during the first chapter because it was kind of crude, then I realized that it was seperate stories and none of the others were as crude as the first. It was very odd and I didn't think that it did a good job of making the point it was trying to. I don't really recommend it.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of stories having to do with death. I didn't care much for the first story, but I am glad that I continued to read the other stories. This book isn't my typical read, but I did enjoy the book. The stories are a bit strange, a bit sad, a bit morbid, a bit odd, a bit of black comedy...

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can not remember how this book was recommended to me, but it is a crazy book and I liked it. The first few chapters are storys about people who have lost someone in there lives. The last chapters are about a lonely girl who attends funerals to feel a part of something. I have a unique outlook on funerals and so I enjoyed how the different perspectives intertwined.

[Nicolle · Rating 3 out of 5]

i wanted it to be good, but i didn't identify with any of the characters. the joy of funerals novella at the end just made me feel weird and uncomfortable. the characters are too lonely and weird for me... the only one i really liked is gail with her need for speed.

[Tina]

I really like the author - though only known through brief encounters - and really want everyone to read this book. I have read nothing but amazing reviews and cannot wait to start on it.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and quirky and beautifully written. I could not put it down.

[DelGal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange yet compelling and sometimes disturbing story.

[Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book especially how all of the tales were woven together by the author something that you don't think is really going to happen when you start the book.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was such a cool concept. The book is a collection of short stories with a common theme (death) and the last story tied them all together in an interesting way.

[Patricia L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it. It just didn't intrigue me enough. And it is due back at the library.

[Kerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

The kind of painfully one-dimensional character sketches you'd expect to see from a college sophomore trying to hook up with her professor

[Kayla · Rating 1 out of 5]

I. Can't. Do it. Total junk. After 3 of the stories I have to call it quits.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as I had hoped it would be this collection of related stories, interesting but there is so more more to do wit this subject.

[Jessica Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short stories with interesting perspectives of death and grieving.