I loved this book. Understandably, it comes with a lot of warnings. This book is morbid, emotional, gory, and sometimes kinda gross. There were a few spots where I had to set the book down and take a break because the contents were too intense or upsetting. That said, the experience was lovely. It made me really sit with some uncomfortable thoughts and let them reverberate in my brain for a bit. There were ideas in this book that I found familiar, comforting, and even hopeful, but that I’d never put into words myself. A few sentences were a little more complex or academic than I’m used to, so I had to rewind and go over them again to make sure I understood, but most of the text is a smooth read with a fair and steady pace. If you have even a casual interest in animal psychology or thanatology, I’d definitely pick this one up.

Some people might find this dry. It’s a philosophy book about science. But I thought the author did a good job of explaining things. Since it’s about death, it can be sad at times. But it’s a fascinating look at animal (and human) behavior. Do animals understand death? Do humans disregard any form of intelligence or emotion that doesn’t look exactly like ours?