DEATH OF AN ORDINARY MAN by Sarah Perry, reviewed by Adèle Geras

"The writing throughout is spare but not impoverished, elegant and dignified but also full of tiny touches of humour."

Sarah Perry is the author of four novels, including The Essex Serpent, which was adapted for television in 2022. She is the Chancellor of Essex University. Her work has been translated into 22 languages.

Adèle Geras (pictured) is one of the hosts of Writers Review. She has published more than 100 books for readers of all ages. Her latest novel, Dangerous Women, appeared under her pseudonym, Hope Adams. A second Hope Adams book will come out in 2026 from Penguin Michael Joseph. She lives in a suburb of Cambridge and her website is www. adelegerasbooks.com

Back in May, I read an advance proof copy of Sarah Perry’s memoir. Disclosure: Sarah is a very close friend of one of my daughters and I've met her several times.

I’m also a fan of her novels, especially The Essex Serpent. She’s a wonderful writer, whose work reminds me of one of her glorious coats: rich, brocaded, unafraid of display and always beautiful. Some aspects of her work echo Mae West’s dictum (with which I also agree) “Too much of a good thing can be wonderful!”

Because Sarah is often interviewed, many people know about her Strict Baptist upbringing and other aspects of her life. She’s written frankly and brilliantly about her health, her childlessness and her travels.

In this short book she has turned her gaze on Death. I’ve used a capital D because it is an important and meaningful word; one that stops us in our tracks and should be given proper respect.

I was knocked sideways when I read this book. There’s no other way of putting it. I have often thought about it since I first read it and I agree completely with the rave reviews it has received. It tells the story of the days between her beloved father in law’s diagnosis of cancer and his death only nine days later. The writing throughout is spare but not impoverished, elegant and dignified but also full of tiny touches of humour.

You might think that such a story would depress you, or upset you, but to the contrary I found great comfort in it. This is, I think, because the narrative conveys powerfully the love that seemed to infuse all the days while Sarah and Rob were taking care of David Perry as he was dying. Even with the pain, the complications attendant on dealing with the NHS and the pure sadness of a huge loss waiting to appear, we become aware that we are witnessing a process which is a part of life and bound up with being born, with existing in time. A line from T S Eliot came into my mind: In my end is my beginning. David Perry had a good life and a good death and now a book has been written which will endure and ensure he is forever remembered. May his memory be for a blessing.

Death of an Ordinary Man is published by Vintage.

Sarah Perry's The Essex Serpent is reviewed here by Linda Newbery.