Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

Teach Me How to Die by Lisa Monde begins with the novella, the main story in the collection, which is a haunting, theatrical meditation on mortality in which Professor Scott Mirrormord holds a master class at the Shetler Studios in New York City for five men and one woman. Each of the characters is identified with a noun such as the Hunter, the Poet, and the Loser. Their assignment is simple: to write their final suicide notes. Through this macabre workshop, the professor probes whether clearly articulating a reason for death can reveal the will to live, even if one student unexpectedly disrupts the class. The remaining stories explore human fragility: a daughter struggles with reconciling the absence of motherly love in “Distorting Mirror”; a mother and daughter try to understand queer identity and female biology; shelter dogs, Molly and Pirate, navigate canine addiction and fidelity in “Pirate Gets Drunk”; and Saint Roch’s hound negotiates an afterlife on his own terms.

Whether personifying Fear and Courage or exploring the bond between two canine friends, Lisa Monde ensures that the characters function as archetypes, from the Poet’s lyrical despair and fading femininity to the Philosopher’s nihilistic pride and the grief of an officer-turned-vigilante. The author uses each character to open a debate on life and existence. Teach Me How to Die examines the erasure of national identity, the commodification of empathy, and the difference between self-loathing and self-expression. I loved the theatrical storytelling and the novella’s seminar structure, which quickly morphs into dialogue that is heavy with dark humor. The author keeps one engaged by exploring thoughts that readers keep to themselves and by creating characters that feel strangely familiar. The author changes registers with ease, from canine magical realism to Ukrainian war stories. This is a great collection that features exquisite prose, superb characterization, and resonant conflicts.