Book Review: "Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt" by Ben Reeves

“I always thought life was a bit like a house. People buy a house and they spend their whole lives trying to make it perfect. They decorate the rooms the way they want them. Make it a happy place to be. Make it somewhere they could die in.”

What a profoundly moving book this was! I honestly didn’t know what to expect, and it absolutely blew me away.

Travis seems like an ordinary man. He lives with his cat and mostly keeps to himself. But Travis has a very specific role in the world: he is Death.

Travis visits people in the last hours of their lives. He tries bringing them comfort, calm, a friendly face in their final moments. These are people he has kept track of throughout their lives; many of them are ready for his visit.

One day he meets Dalia, his neighbor from across the hall, and her young daughter, Layla. For the first time, he understands what it feels like to have someone want your company, to belong. But in the end, he has a purpose, and he must keep his responsibilities in mind.

I loved this concept and found the way the story was told to be so beautiful. Travis is an incredibly compassionate character and you can see how conflicted he feels at times. This really touched me.

The book publishes 7/7.