Competitive Grieving

by Nora Zelevansky Narrated by Katie Schorr

Overview

Wren's closest friend, her anchor since childhood, is dead. Stewart Beasley. Gone. She can't quite believe it and she definitely can't bring herself to look up the symptoms of an aneurysm. Instead of weeping, Wren's been dreaming up the perfect funeral plans, memorial buffets, and processional songs for everyone from the corner bodega owner to her parents (none of whom show any signs of imminent demise).

Stewart was a rising television star, who-for reasons Wren struggles to comprehend-often surrounded himself with sycophantic and questionable characters, amusing in his life, but intolerable in his death. When his icy mother assigns Wren the task of sorting through and disseminating his possessions alongside George (Stewart's maddening, but oddly charming lawyer), she finds herself at the epicenter of a world in which she wants no part, a world where everyone wants to own a piece of Stewart's memory and claim a stake in both his life and his death.

Remembering the boy Stewart was and investigating the man he became, Wren finds herself wondering, did she even know this person who she once considered an extension of herself? Can you ever really know anyone? Will the real Stewart Beasley please stand up?

Ultimately, in pursuit of acceptance, Wren discovers that her own true identity may be just as obscure as her friend's. How did she land here? How much of her own reality has she been walking through blind?

Competitive Grieving is a dark, touching comedy-and unlikely love story-about loss and the chaotic aftermath of death. It takes an honest look at the universal struggle to tune out the noise and grieve, to love in the face of loss, and to yearn to truly know someone who is gone forever.

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

04/23/2021

Thirtysomething Wren is a writer for a nonprofit in New York City. The death of her best friend Stewart throws her into complete chaos. Stewart and Wren—whose mothers had first met during pregnancy—stayed connected throughout school and college, and into early adulthood. In that time, Stewart became slightly famous for starring in a sitcom, and Wren continued to be his touchstone. In the aftermath of Stewart's sudden death, Wren is thrust into his family drama. Stewart's family, including his tightly wound mother and free-spirited sister, rely on Wren to assist with his funeral. Worst of all are Stewart's many vulturous friends: his publicist who pretends they were "extremely close"; his cloying actor friends who just want memorabilia to hoard or possibly sell on eBay. Wren's disgusted by all of them, except for Stewart's attorney and friend George. She becomes obsessed with the process of death; in every interaction, she imagines that person's cause of death, their funeral service, even what the memorial buffet might offer. These musings help Wren contend with the gaping hole that Stewart's death leaves in her life. VERDICT Zelevansky's (Will You Won't You Want Me?) quirky novel is a heartfelt look at a lifelong friendship and the impact of a friend's death, which can also open a door in one's heart to allow others in.—Beth Gibbs, Davidson, NC

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172942594
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	05/11/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged

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