Nobody Ever Talks about Anything But the End - by Liz Levine (Paperback)

About the Book

"In November of 2016, Liz Levine's younger sister, Tamara, reached a breaking point after years of living with mental illness. In the dark hours before dawn, she sent a final message to her family and committed suicide. In Nobody Every Talks About Anything But the End, Liz weaves the story of what happened to Tamara with another significant death--that of Liz's childhood love, Judson, to cancer. This account of life and loss--inventively told in the form of the alphabet--is haunting and bittersweet, heartbreaking yet often hilarious. With appealing honesty, Liz writes about her relationship with Judson, Tamara's increasingly bizarre outbursts, the conflicts that arise in a family of challenging personalities and multiple religions, and how death casts a long shadow. In doing so, she exposes the raw and uncomfortable truths about grief and mourning that we often shy away from--and almost never share with others. And she reveals how, in the midst of death, life--with all its messy complications--must also be celebrated."--

Book Synopsis

*Finalist, Hubert Evans Nonfiction Prize A genuinely moving, funny, and inventive account of loss and grief, mental illness and suicide, from film and TV producer Liz Levine (Story of a Girl), written in the aftermath of the deaths of her sister and best friend.I feel like I might be a terrible person to be laughing in these moments. But it turns out, I'm not alone. In November of 2016, Liz Levine's younger sister, Tamara, reached a breaking point after years of living with mental illness. In the dark hours before dawn, she sent a final message to her family then killed herself. In Nobody Ever Talks About Anything But the End, Liz weaves the story of what happened to Tamara with another significant death--that of Liz's childhood love, Judson, to cancer. She writes about her relationship with Judson, Tamara's struggles, the conflicts that arise in a family of challenging personalities, and how death casts a long shadow. This memorable account of life and loss is haunting yet filled with dark humor--Tamara emails her family when Trump is elected to check if she's imagining things again, Liz discovers a banana has been indicted as a whistleblower in an alleged family conspiracy, and a little niece declares Tamara's funeral the "most fun ever!" With honesty, Liz exposes the raw truths about grief and mourning that we often shy away from--and almost never share with others. And she reveals how, in the midst of death, life--with all its messy complications--must also be celebrated.

Review Quotes

"Haunting and filled with dark humour, this is an honest and calm look at the chaos of life." - Globe and Mail