Stephanie lost her brother to a heroin overdose the day before her birthday. He was a writer for Parks and Recreation. They were best friends. This book is her story of the year after her brother’s death and the thirty years of life before.

Everything is Horrible and Wonderful is a lot like Joan Didion’s [b:The Year of Magical Thinking|7815|The Year of Magical Thinking|Joan Didion|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327878638s/7815.jpg|1659905], but even more heartbreaking. Marriage is one thing, but siblings are another. Wittels Wachs says over and over again that a sibling is a big part of your identity—they’re the context for your history, because they’re at your side from day one. When you lose them, you lose a part of yourself.

She writes a lot directly to Harris, about how much she misses him and how much she hates him. She is honest. She is real. Grief is ugly. I will never have the right words for this book. It hurt my heart and made me laugh and then made me cry again. It’s beautifully written and devastating.

★ Note: I work for the publisher and I would love this book dearly even if I didn’t.

From the Best Books We Read in March 2018 at Book Riot.