"Grief is for People" is a deeply moving and surprisingly gripping portrait of friendship and a book about loss that is full of joy for life. Sloane Crosley is one of the most renowned observers of contemporary behavior, and now the pathos that has always been present in her characteristic wit is fully revealed. After the pain and confusion brought on by the suicide of her closest friend, Crosley seeks answers in friendships, philosophy, and art, hoping for a more useful framework than the inevitable stages of grief.

For much of her adult life, Sloane and Russell worked together and spent time with each other as they navigated the corridors of office life, the literary world, and the dramatic cultural changes in New York City. One day, while Russell is still alive, Sloane's apartment is robbed. Along with her most valuable possessions, the thief takes her sense of security, leaving behind a puzzle in its place.

When Russell dies exactly one month later, his suicide drives her on a wild quest to right the wrong, to explore what family and possession mean, all while the city itself grapples with the enormous consequences of the pandemic.

Crosley's search for truth is candid, darkly humorous, and imbued with poignant empathy. By turning the "grief memoir" on its head, "Grief is for People" is the cross-genre story of the struggle to hold onto the past without being consumed by it. A modern elegy that serves to comfort and challenge our notions of grief in these loss-laden times.