It has made me rethink my own hazy death wishes (no pun intended) and reinvigorated me to properly sit down and document some things like the far distant seeming will/funeral instead of just winging it with my life insurance. These experiences made it all the more touching to read this book about a local government officer who makes funeral arrangements for people that die without either the money or the loved ones to have it dealt with privately. This really jumped out at me, as I often feel that people focus on lifespan and not the value and quality of life we have.

Ashes to Admin: Tales from the Caseload of a Council Funeral Ashes to Admin: Tales from the Caseload of a Council Funeral

Funeral poverty is a growing issue, and can be one of the reasons why people will receive a Section 46 funeral; families can simply not afford it. I work at a funeral directors so I did have an interest already in the subject but you don’t need to at all. Ashes to Admin’ lifts the coffin lid on those extraordinary personal stories that have been so often left unheard. I picked this up on a whim after hearing the author on a podcast talking about the book and her job. It is incredibly uplifting to read the stories of people who, on the outset, look like they have nobody left in the world to care about them, transform into people with well-attended funerals which many might envy.

I've come across more than my fair share of faceless bureaucrats who have gone about their job with complete disdain for the people they are meant to help lately. What I would like to know is if you were contacted now by a relative of one of these people whose certificates have your name on, who hadn't known of their death at the time, would you be able to tell them where the final resting place of their family member is or at least be able to tell them how to go about accessing the information? Knowing absolutely zero about council funerals aside from the negative term 'a paupers funeral' the subject matter of this book caught my eye. As she learns on the job, her story is told through a series of case studies, from bodies discovered at home, to deaths in care homes, and on through to the outbreak of Covid, this is an insight into the way death is dealt with on a political and personal level.

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Honest on how it feels, as an administrative official, to witness so many tragic lives, troubled lives, and lives that might have been different, and how it feels to be confronted by death so brutally on a daily basis, this is a uniquely absorbing read.

King talks about her early days in the job, and with each case, we see her expertise and knowledge developing and growing. This book brought both laughter and tears, and made me think that I really need to sort out a death-admin folder of my own.

Ashes To Admin: Tales from the Caseload of a Council Funeral Ashes To Admin: Tales from the Caseload of a Council Funeral

One thing I soon learned from reading this book is that Section 46 funerals are nothing like the dismal image of a pauper's funeral that I had in my head.Her thoughts on life, dying, and death, and the relationship between them, are thought-provoking, heart-felt and compassionate. The book was read for our (Not So) Cheery book club of people involved in end of life and funeral work so it'll be interesting for discussion. Beautifully written, beautiful, heartbreaking, uplifting and serious food for thought for everyone since as she (obviously) correctly points out, we all die. The author instils the stories of those who have received a Section 46 Council funeral with a level of humour which makes what at times can be quite an emotional read also a very funny one. Alongside dealing with the standard complaints we expect the council to deal with (bin collections, noise, dog poo, etc), she sees humanity, life, and death in all its strangeness.