Putting Makeup on Dead People

by Jen Violi

[Angie]

I could never be a mortician, but that didn't stop me from reading about one! In Putting Makeup on Dead People, Donna is just kind of floating through life. Her father died three years ago, and obviously nothing is the same. But now she's a senior and her future is coming sooner rather than later. She thought she had a plan: go to the University of Dayton like her brother and study Communications. Then a classmate dies, and Donna finds her calling. She's much more comfortable around the dead than the living, and she wants a job that matters. Helping others to grieve their loved ones is something she feels passionately about, even if her mother would rather her stick to working in the land of the living.

Putting Makeup on Dead People was really fun, sweet, sad, and fascinating! And I absolutely adored Donna! She's a bit strange, and definitely not your typical teenage girl. She has a lot of random thoughts, but I could totally relate! I've always been an oddball, so I was never put off by anything Donna did. She's just trying to find her own way while sticking to who she is. Her preoccupation with death is a bit morbid at times, but I loved this peek into the mortuary sciences! It's not all gloom and doom, despite dealing with death and grieving families. It's actually a very positive career, and that's the only way to think about it if you're going to survive years of doing it.

Putting Makeup on Dead People does explore more than just what it takes to be a mortician. A lot of it is about Donna and her family. Things are strained between her and her mother, since neither are really moving on. They don't know how to communicate with each other all, so what Donna's mother thinks is right for Donna isn't what Donna thinks is right for her, and what Donna thinks is right for her mother isn't what her mother thinks is right for her. This causes a pretty big mess for them, and it takes some outside sources for them to realize that they need to move on from their father/husband's death together and individually before finding their way back to each other.

I just really enjoyed Putting Makeup on Dead People. Despite it's title, it's a generally upbeat book about finding yourself and connecting with those around you. I also really liked how some pages have Donna's notes from her job at the funeral home. There's nothing too detailed or grim, but I learned a lot about how they work with the bodies to make them acceptable for viewing. I also had no idea there were special colleges for this career!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.