About this item
Highlights
- "Not only a fascinating travelogue but also a personal meditation on loss and fate...There is a wealth to discover within these pages.
- About the Author: Sarah Murray is author of Moveable Feasts: From Ancient Rome to the 21st Century, the Incredible Journeys of the Food We Eat.
- 320 Pages
- Social Science, Death & Dying
Description
Book Synopsis
"Not only a fascinating travelogue but also a personal meditation on loss and fate...There is a wealth to discover within these pages."--The Economist
Journalist Sarah Murray never gave much thought to what might ultimately happen to her remains--until her father died. Puzzled by the choices he made about the disposal of his "organic matter," she embarks on a series of journeys to discover how death is commemorated in different cultures. Her travels lead her to discover everything from a Czech chandelier of human bones and a weeping ceremony in Iran to a Philippine village where the casketed dead hang in caves.
Fascinating, poignant, and often funny, Making an Exit is Murray's exploration of the ways in which we seek to dignify the dead--and a deeply personal quest for a final send-off of her own.
Review Quotes
"An Eat, Pray, Love for the afterlife ... Murray tackles an uncomfortable subject with sensitivity, humor and great insight ... Making an Exit raises a host of issues worth thinking about ... In addition to being a deeply informative book, Making an Exit is also a personal one. Murray's reflections on her father's terminal illness and his plans for a no-frills cremation are particularly touching ... In the end, as her own experiences show, the rituals we create to honor the dead may say more about the living, and our fears and hopes." --Rachel Newcomb, The Washington Post
"The death of her father, and his clear orders for an unfussy, secular send-off, prompted Ms. Murray to consider her own long goodbye. The result is not only a fascinating travelogue, but also a personal meditation on loss and fate. Ms. Murray excels in the role of intrepid tour guide. She has an inviting way of taking readers by the hand to explore new cultures and places ... there is a wealth to discover within these pages." --The EconomistAbout the Author
Sarah Murray is author of Moveable Feasts: From Ancient Rome to the 21st Century, the Incredible Journeys of the Food We Eat. A longtime Financial Times contributor, she lives in New York City.