The Funny Thing About Death

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She navigates the treacherous waters of bereavement and its unpredictable behaviour and emotions in this open, funny, sad, wry and highly readable gem' -- Jo Brand 'Excellent writing with heart, truth and comedy rolled into one important journey' -- Helen Lederer 'Sweet, brutal, funny, intimate and totally compelling, this is a brilliant meditation on grief and sisterhood - and a celebration of the seemingly inconsequential details and random moments that bind us to each other' -- Viv Groskop 'If this book was just a eulogy, that would be more than enough reason to say that you must read this, but it offers readers so much more.

Marvellous though she appears to have been in the main, Annie's ego and insensitivity are aspects that Jo doesn't shy away from. A moving, occasionally beautiful but down-to-earth account of family ties, creative ambition and lust for life, The Funny Thing About Death is the comic’s first book and it admirably succeeds in conveying Jo’s assertion that ‘cancer was the least interesting thing about Annie’. Or is the comic who prides herself on lashing idiots with her tongue – her show carrying on as she inwardly mourns the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing or her fading sister – a more ‘authentic’ performer? Might she now follow Annie's example again and belatedly begin to share more of herself there as she increasingly gives fewer fucks?We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. There’s a telling passage late in the book where she admits to only finding her stand-up voice in her 50s, with that voice simply being to tell people to fuck off. A lot of people have written books about comedy and comedians over the years but I don't think they were actually at the coalface. Despite the limitations and strictures of their oppressive Catholic education, Annie fought the power and won respect from the nuns. A superb read' — Shaparak Khorsandi 'Warm and tender, frequently very funny and, ultimately, incredibly moving tale of siblings and cancer.

Laughter is what gets us through the toughest times, and Jo Caulfield demonstrates that beautifully in this heartfelt and hilarious book. There’s a respectful accuracy in the telling of Annie’s journey with cancer that although deeply individual also offers a shared experience for any one of the rest of the 50 per cent of the population likely to be touched by it. In brief, measured chapters suffused with tenderness, warmth and some heartbreaking fragility in spite of herself, Caulfield has delivered a fitting tribute to her sister that, crucially, you suspect Annie would sneakily delight in. I've seen jo read excerpts in her live show before I bought this book so it was already sold to me that night.

I had seen jo read excerpts from the book at her live show so I was already sold on it before I bought it. Her TV credits include appearances on Have I Got News For You, Mock the Week, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, The Royal Variety Show, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow and Richard Osman's House of Games, and she has written and starred in several series of her own on Radio 4. With the blessing of Annie’s partner, Martin, Jo includes several pieces penned by her sister in the book, invariably droll, witty vignettes.