Reviews for After a Funeral

The average rating for After a Funeral based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-04-02 00:00:00 Sara Langford I picked this book up because it was an account of the final few years of Waguih Ghali's life, a memoir written by his friend and at one point lover, Diana Athill. After reading Ghali's only book, 'Beer in the Snooker Club' a few months ago, I became obsessed with knowing what little information there was on this Egyptian writer, and this book was the only other source of information on his life. It details Waguih's battle with his emotional demons, his ups and downs and also his brilliant highs, and finally, his suicide from an overdose in Athill's flat. Using extracts from both Waguih and her own diaries, Athill conjures up a brilliant and painful memoir of those few years they spent together. She is an unjustly underrated author who writes with an uncompromising honesty about their relationship. For anyone who has ever gone through a deep friendship with a troubled individual, this book hits the nail on the head. I only have one qualm with this book, and that is that despite her brutal honesty about their relationship, she did not go into detail about Waguih's troubled childhood. She implies on more than one occasion that his childhood was to blame for much of his depression (indeed, the final line of the book is "This account was written for [Waguih], and for those who plan to raise children."), yet she glosses over the details of his childhood. So, forty years later, all we can do is try and piece the puzzle together from these small pieces and hints that we've been given.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-02-01 00:00:00 Ilkka Nivala It's actually 4.5 stars, more of which later. I discovered Diana Athill last year and I adore her. It's not just that she is formidable and almost 100 years old, although I am thoroughly impressed by her personality. More importantly, however, I enjoy her writing voice: it's unsentimental, incisive and clear. She admits herself that she loves to observe people and likes to gossip and decades of practice have honed her ability to perceive the truth of people and their relationships to perfection. She is the only person I've ever wanted to ask for relationship advice. The story in this book, of the rise and fall (mostly fall) of her close friend, an Egyptian writer, is ideal for showcasing her abilities. So why not 5 stars? The main strength of the book, her analytical and non-judging approach is also its weakness. Athill says of herself (on page 113 in my Kindle version) that she is "one of those people who are hardly ever totally involved in an emotion". That detachment she describes is also present in the book. I understand, of course, that this is how she manages to write such sharply revealing prose. Without that distance, this book would not exist or would lack the qualities I must admire. But I'm still detracting half a star for it. One might call it an emotional choice.