Mannix’s introductions to each section and chapter, and the Pause for Thought pages at the end of each chapter, mean the book lends itself to being read as a handbook, perhaps in tandem with an ill relative. Really this is the kind of book I would like to own a copy of and read steadily, just a chapter a week. It may also be because I have read quite a number of books with similar themes and scope – including Caitlin Doughty’s two books on death, Caring for the Dying by Henry Fersko-Weiss, Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, and Waiting for the Last Bus by Richard Holloway. This was not because I wasn’t enjoying it, but because it was a two-week loan and I was conscious of needing to move on to other longlist books. I read the first 20% on my Kindle and then skimmed the rest in a library copy. In many cases this involves talking patients and their loved ones through the steps of dying and explaining the patterns – decreased energy, increased time spent asleep, a change in breathing just before the end – as well as being clear about how suffering can be eased. She has a particular interest in combining CBT with palliative care to help the dying approach their remaining time with realism rather than pessimism. It’s based around relatable stories of the patients Mannix met in her decades working in the fields of cancer treatment and hospice care. This is an excellent all-round guide to preparation for death.
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