Description

In the spring of her senior year, Donna Parisi finds new life in an unexpected place: a coffin.

Since her father’s death four years ago, Donna’s been stuck in her grief, cut off from friends and family, and clueless about what to do after high school graduation. That is, until she’s standing in front of the dead body of a classmate at Brighton Brothers Funeral Home. At that moment, Donna realizes that what might give her life purpose is comforting others in death. That maybe she really wants to be . . . a mortician?

This discovery sets in motion a life Donna never imagined was possible. By taking one big risk, Donna comes into her own. And she finally understands that moving forward doesn’t mean forgetting someone you love.

Jen Violi’s heartfelt and funny debut novel is a story of transformation—how one girl learns to grieve and say good-bye, turn loss into a gift, and let herself be exceptional . . . at loving, applying lipstick to corpses, and finding life in the wake of death.

"A book that looks at death and reveals much about life." — Kirkus Reviews

"A natural discussion starter, this will be an obvious choice for book clubs; many readers will be moved by the poignant examination of the passages in and from life, and they'll be glad of the Donnas who step up to guide us through them." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)