A review by bookcheshirecat
Family Business by Jonathan Sims

challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

“We do not disappear after death. Small pieces of our being can remain, persisting in those places that were once so meaningful to us. These traces can be found where we lived or loved or worked, and will linger especially where we died. They stand as a testament to a life; stubborn reminders that call out to those who know how to spot them and scream I was here! I will not be forgotten!” 

➽ Family Business is another fantastic novel by Jonathan Sims! Ever since listening to The Magnus Archives I've loved how he writes Horror. Unlike Thirteen Storeys, his newest book focuses on only one perspective. We follow Diya, who recently lost her best friend Angie and is now working for Slough & Sons, a company that cleans up after the dead. She's still grieving and feeling detached from everyone else. The job is demanding and grim, but at least it's something completely different from her office job. However, as times goes on, weird incidents keep happening and Diya begins to see visions of the deceased. Something is off with Slough & Sons and she has to find out why before things get worse!

➽ I felt for Diya's situation. The story is a bit more of a slow-burn, but it helped to be in Diya's perspective since she felt so realistic. Grief is a big theme of the book and Diya still mourns her best friend. Now living alone, she can't help but feel isolated as everyone around her moves on. She's like a different person now and struggles to connect to her family and old friends. Her coworkers are the only steady contact she has left and even they seem to be hiding something from her. I loved how the story touched upon the fact that the loss of a close friend isn't seen as drastic as the loss of a parent or spouse. But Angie was Diya's closest confidante and meant the world to her! Grieving friends should be met with the same sympathy even though society continues to prioritize romantic relationships.

➽ The Slough's cleanup business perfectly connected with the discussion of what we leave behind after death. Some of the deceased had no one or were outcasts from society. There is no one to mourn them and Diya is tasked with cleaning up their few remains. I appreciated the discussion about how those on the fringes of society are forgotten and how those in power want them to disappear, both in life and death. Diya only gets her visions when it comes to the marginalized and abandoned, as it seems someone doesn't deem them important enough and soon she keeps forgetting their names. The theme of who gets remembered and who gets to leave a legacy was so well done. It tied into the secret behind the Slough's business and how we treat the ones who we deem 'less worthy' in society. 
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