How the Dead Live

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Will Self

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Will Self's astonishing imagination shines in this work, prompting The Washington Post's Jonathan Carroll to note his ability to depict the fall of humanity with both gusto and ruefulness. The story follows Lily Bloom, an angry, aging American in England battling cancer. Surrounded by her two daughters—lumpy Charlotte, a successful businesswoman, and beautiful Natasha, a junkie—Lily embarks on a surreal journey through her life filled with lust and rage. From a '40s career girl to a '50s adulteress and '70s PR flak, she witnesses a century of tumultuous change. As her life comes to an end, she rides with her death guide, Aboriginal wizard Phar Lap Jones, into the mundane world of the dead: the suburbs. Here, she experiences smoking without consequences and lands another PR job, where her coworkers remain oblivious to her death. Lily meets her unusual roommates: Rude Boy, her furious son who died at nine; Lithy, a fetus she never knew; and the Fats, formless shapes of her fluctuating weight. As Dan Cryer of Newsday remarked, Self's literary magic makes Lily Bloom unforgettable. This work is a poignant, gut-wrenching exploration of life, death, and the afterlife, showcasing Self's remarkable and human storytelling.