I received this copy from Goodreads First Reads. It's good, but really REALLY weird. I'm enjoying the narrative, the McKinnons, Giffords, the drunks, the bored housewives and everyone in between. The author moves from the little histories of its minor characters to the unsettling feelings of the books main characters. The book follows the lives of three sisters, each middle aged with very different lives. Pearl lives in the city and has married into a family of funeral directors. She's coming back to Mattagash, Maine to bury her eldest sister Marge, only Marge hasn't died. Sicily has stayed in Mattagash, abandoned by her father, caught in a loveless marriage, raising her preteen and planning her dying sister's funeral.So, halfway through. Still good. I enjoyed how this author gave us a window into the life of a dying character through her own memories and through the lives and interactions of family and friends around her. I finished the book feeling the main character was a person well-worth knowing, and her sisters were also heroes in living the lives they'd been dealt. Engaging and evocative, with conversations and images staying with me beyond the reading.
What do You think about The Funeral Makers (1986)?
One of the most under-rated books and authors in recent memory. Read her, please
—mrdirextor
Honestly, I don't remember reading this back in 2000. I think I liked it.
—fazzas
funny book about a family that descends to a town in Maine for a funeral
—johanmani
I grew up in New England, this author knows what she's talking about.
—Alkhansa
