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.

like many other reviewers, i did not know this was a philosophy book before reading it. however (despite disliking philosophy) i enjoyed this. it was informative while broadening my view of how animals may (or may not) understand death