Reviews of “A Good Death”
 A Good Death“Canadian author Courtemanche beautifully captures the conflicted dynamic of a dutiful child who has never loved his father, desperately needs to please his loving mother, and can only survive by maintaining emotional distance from the whole messy swamp of lifelong familial grievances and entrenched behaviors…This follow-up to the brilliant Sunday at the Pool in Kigali (2003) beautifully compacts the big issues of aging, dying, and duty into scenes of resentful devotion, cheerful fatalism, and intimacy held at arm's length. Highly recommended.” Library Journal, Sep 1, 2009 Read more about A Good Death >> |
A Good Death“…a striking account of a family and its efforts to cope with the binding prospect of death. …[The] rather original approach challenges readers to look at their own lives and examine past events which, for better or worse, have shaped the individuals they have become.” Books in Canada, Feb 29, 2008 Read more about A Good Death >> |
A Good Death“Gil Courtemanche turns his unsparing eye …to a smaller but nevertheless seething locus for a political and ethical dilemma – the family. …it raises powerful questions – what is a good death, or life, anyway? And the ending is literally breathtaking.” Kitchener-Waterloo Record, Jun 30, 2007 Read more about A Good Death >> |
A Good Death“The beauty of A Good Death is in Courtemanche’s deft exploration of Andrea’s love for his father, even as he denies to himself that he feels this love. His quest for understanding, and the conflicting needs of parents and children, make for an intense emotional journey that is raw and honest.” Geist Magazine, May 1, 2007 Read more about A Good Death >> |