A profound work of life and death and the myriad ways in which we face it.
We are born to die. It comes for all of us, at a time and place we don’t get to choose. In Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt, death’s name is Travis, and it is his job to shepherd folks through the transition.
In the story, he encounters many different souls, and we get to see what happens when we come face to face with the fact of our imminent death. Begging, pleading, relief, acceptance…there are those who were already forgotten long before their time is up, and those who will be remembered far longer than their corporeal body survived.
Inexorably entwined with death is its messy aftermath. What we leave behind, physically, and emotionally. Grief is something we will all contend with throughout our lives, some experiences so profound they make us long for a creature like Travis to visit us—to take us, too, as we cannot imagine life without the departed.
The only word that comes to mind when I consider this book is masterwork. It examines one of the hardest and most reluctant human experiences from a multitude of angles, and left me with tears streaming.
Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Details
Title:: Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt
Author:: Ben Reeves
Genre:: Literary Fiction
Publisher:: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
Length:: 256 pages
Published:: July 7th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Curated recommendations based on this title:
The 7 O’Clock Club | Amelia Ireland
All the Perfect Days | Michael Thompson
Every Moment Since | Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
The Last Love Note | Emma Grey
After Life | Gayle Forman
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