THE COLLECTED REGRETS OF CLOVER, by Mikki Brammer (Viking, $37)
Clover Brooks is a “death doula”, someone who sits by the beds of the dying, comforting them and helping them prepare for death. When we first meet her, she’s up to her 97th death. She wonders, as do we, how she got to this point: “Thirty-six years old and my whole life revolved around waiting for strangers to die.” Her social life consists of a friendship with her elderly neighbour, watching through binoculars the happy couple who live across the street from her New York apartment – think Rear Window without the murder – and going to death cafes: places where “strangers got together to ponder the intricacies of mortality over food and wine”.
Denne historien er fra June 3-9 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra June 3-9 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
