The Next A Novel by Stephanie Gangi



Death isn't always a quiet affair in a room with only the buzz of a fly. The person dying is still very much aware of the psychological processes of the people close to her. This is the case for Joanna DeAngelis. She is in the last stages of cancer. She is very aware of her daughters and the men in her life, a husband and a boyfriend.

As I read about Joanna in "The Next" by Stephanie Gangi I felt dying is tough not just because of the pain and other human indignities but because loved ones seem to become more solid, more real. There is the feeling 'now I know how you really feel, what you really are willing to do for me.' I'm more aware that death might not bring those whom I love closer to me. It's possible death might lead them away from me. For years, some married couples thought another child would make them grow closer to one another. Not necessarily so. And so the fact that my days are shortened won't necessarily stop a man from loving someone else or make a husband move back home.

By nature death is like a chameleon. Therefore, it's gifts are unknowable. It is impossible to nail any one thing down. The patient, the friends and family even the family pet are entering a new and unexamined world. One which too often is presented as frightening. Stephanie Gangi gives us another look at death. I'm still thinking about it. 
http://www.sgangi.com/
http://us.macmillan.com/publishers/st-martins-press

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