If Crosley’s descriptions of love for Russell are often dazzling and unexpected, her meditations on grief are occasionally clichéd. But bromides are par for the course when it comes to bereavement, and this, too, is part of the indignity of loss.

Not without amusing episodes — I don’t know that someone as funny as Crosley appears on the page could abandon humor entirely — but overall the book is more bold, probing, and exposed than anything else she has published.

The weight of suicide as a subject, paired with Crosley’s exceptional ability to write juicy conversation, prevents it from being the kind of slim volume one flies through and forgets. Her signature shrewdness comes through particularly in the Depression section, which shows the author in the depths of her grief, but offers relief through humorous lines of dialogue and passing thoughts on pandemic-era activities.

By wrangling her complicated friend onto the pages of this elegiac book, Crosley holds onto what she can. The result is a noteworthy addition to the literature of grief..

[Crosley] ranges from black humor in the face of grief to a silky cattiness.

Crosley can’t help but write even the grimmest of explorations with a wit so dry it will make you thirsty.

A tender, moving and whip-smart meditation on friendship and loss, and the latest in the rich tradition of brutally honest female-driven nonfiction.

Crosley expertly weaves her humor into the narrative, never shying away from finding the lighthearted in the macabre. Her storytelling abilities are mesmerizing as she balances themes of angst, love, and heartbreak, all whilst maintaining an introspective, intimate, and frank voice. While it’s true that Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley is a book about grief, it is also a book about ultimate perseverance..

Tightly woven and sophisticated.

Crosley is thoughtful about things most people don’t want to think about.

This is a searching, impassioned, cathartic, and loving elegy..

A bereavement memoir like no other. Heart-wrenching yet witty, it bears a distinctive structure and offers fascinating glimpses into the New York City publishing world.

Grief Is for People places at the forefront a remarkable willingness to face the dark questions that follow a suicide.

An aching meditation.

Crosley’s memoir is not only a joy to read, but also a respectful and philosophical work about a colleague’s recent suicide.