Book

“There’s so much I’d like to say about this book, it’s a wildly satisfying and moving read. Big laughs combined with rare insight and heartbreak… I loved this special book.”

Graham Norton

The Funny Thing About Death is my first book and I’ve been thrilled with the responses to it.

It’s about two unconventional girls – me and my big sister Annie – growing up in the seventies, and the trials and errors of childhood and adolescence.

Annie was my exciting older sister; rebellious, artistic and interesting. She wanted to become a writer and she did. She knew what she wanted and rushed headlong into life. I wanted to be artistic and interesting too, but unlike Annie, I had no plan on how you achieved that (I thought it probably involved a lot eyeliner, smoking and being in a band).

Rushing headlong into life the way we did means that you make a lot of mistakes, but it also means you have stories to tell. 

The Funny Thing About Death is full of those stories and our funny, mad adventures.

Annie died of lung cancer when she was just 57 years old, so the book is also about my life after she had gone and there were no more footsteps to follow.

When I started writing the book it was important to me that more people got to know Annie, that’s why I included extracts of her writing, so they could hear her voice as well. 

One of my favourite things is when people who’ve read the book tell me how much they liked Annie, and that they wish they could have met her. I can hear Annie cackling with pleasure at that, and saying “of course they like me, why wouldn’t they?” 

Annie was my favourite person and I think she comes alive in this book about our misadventures and how she shaped the person I’ve become. It’s an honest and funny book about life and death.

All royalties from the book are being donated to Macmillan Cancer Support in Annie’s memory.