Competitive Grieving

A Novel

By: Nora Zelevansky

Narrated by: Katie Schorr

Wren’s closest friend, her anchor since childhood, is dead. Stewart Beasley. Gone. She can’t quite believe it, and she definitely can’t bring herself to google what causes an aneurysm. Instead of weeping or facing reality, Wren has been dreaming up the perfect funeral plans, memorial buffets, and processional songs for everyone from the corner bodega owner to her parents (none of whom show signs of imminent demise).

Stewart was a rising TV star, who - for reasons Wren struggles to understand - often surrounded himself with sycophants, amusing in his life, but intolerable in his death. When his icy mother assigns Wren the task of disseminating his possessions alongside George (Stewart’s maddening, but oddly charming, lawyer), she finds herself at the epicenter of a world in which she wants no part, where everyone is competing to own a piece of Stewart’s memory (sometimes literally).

Remembering the boy Stewart was and investigating the man he became, Wren finds herself wondering, did she even know this person who she once considered an extension of herself? Can you ever actually know anyone? How well does she really know herself?

Through laughter and tears, Nora Zelevansky’s Competitive Grieving shines a light on the universal struggle to grieve amidst the noise, to love with a broken heart, and to truly know someone who is gone forever.

An Entertainment Weekly Pick

©2021 Nora Zelevansky (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing

Hits close to home

We don’t often talk about grief and how it affects us. All too often we keep it inside, private,only to be expressed when we’re alone.
A beautiful story of grief and learning about yourself and others. Definitely worth listening to.

The most riveting show story I’ve ‘read’ in a long time

I loved the story and the performance. It was a rollercoaster of emotion but such an insightful look into an individuals coming to grips with life and the complexity of the cause behind the image we project to the world. I don’t reread many books these days but this one will stay in my library.

Good story, worth a listen

The writing is a little twee for my taste but story was interesting and novel. I appreciated that the author unraveled the mystery of her friend’s death without leaning in to true crime troupes. Worth a listen, especially if the title is available as part of your subscription (as it was for me).

loved it

I really enjoyed reading this book. I look forward to reading more books by this author in the near future.

Relatable

Loved the readers voice and cadence. Very relatable story and common experience among mourners of friends w premature deaths. Also, spoke to shame and associated challenges around depression. Certainly not helpful for recovering.