Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory

The majority of people like to avoid thinking about dying, but twenty-something Caitlin Doughty, who has a degree in mediaeval history and a penchant for the macabre, decided to make her morbid fascination her career by taking a position at a crematory. Caitlin had to learn how to manoeuvre through the closed-off society of people who tend to the dead after being thrust into a line of work involving grim humour and colourful characters—both very dead and alive.

The unconventional coming-of-age tale Smoke Gets in Your Eyes is full of strange interactions and memorable moments. As she tends to corpses of all hues, shapes, and ailments, Caitlin quickly develops into a fearless adventurer in the afterlife. She talks about the peculiar history of cremation and her experience sweeping ashes from the machines—and sometimes into her clothes—while admiring the unique and amazing funeral customs seen in other civilizations.

Her narrative is enlightening, honest, and often humorous; it's like taking your bravest buddy on a midnight graveyard excursion. She demystifies death by revealing to us the inner workings of her unusual career. And she responds to queries you never knew you had, like: Is it possible to get an illness from a dead body? How much room does a Dodge van have for dead bodies? What is the precise appearance of a blazing skull?

Sincere and genuine, humorous and self-deprecating, Caitlin's captivating writing style makes a normally taboo subject interesting and accessible. Caitlin, a licenced undertaker who now operates an alternative funeral home, contends that our fear of death distorts culture and society and advocates for more humane approaches to death and the deceased.