Emily Austin's Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead is praised for its dark humor and raw depiction of anxiety and existential dread. Critics appreciate the relatable protagonist and nuanced exploration of mental health. However, some find the pacing slow and the plot somewhat repetitive. Overall, it's a poignant, if occasionally uneven, debut.

Readers who enjoy introspective, character-driven narratives with dark humor about mental health will appreciate Everyone in This Room Will Someday be Dead by Emily Austin. Fans of Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner or Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman will find this book compelling.

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin follows Gilda, a 27-year-old lesbian atheist, who, seeking mental health support after a car accident and job loss, accidentally ends up working at a Catholic church. She pretends to be a heterosexual Catholic woman while navigating her fragile mental health, a double life, and a murder investigation into the previous secretary's death. Includes alcohol addiction, anti-gay bias and slurs, eating disorders, suicidal ideation, and a death by suicide.

Melancholic / Dark / Contemplative / Unnerving / Humorous

**Gilda**  
A 27-year-old lesbian atheist who grapples with anxiety, depression, and existential musings while narrating the novel’s events from her perspective. She takes on a church secretary role and struggles with her mental health throughout the story.

**Jeff**  
The priest at Saint Rigobert’s Catholic church where Gilda works. He is depicted as calm and kind, though his behavior and actions suggest complicated views on LGBTQ+ issues.

**Rosemary**  
An elderly woman and long-time friend of the late church secretary, Grace Moppet. She is characterized by her traditional life experiences and exchanges emails with Gilda under the guise of Grace.

**Elijah (Eli)**  
Gilda’s brother who faces his own mental health challenges and substance misuse in a difficult family environment. His strained relationship with Gilda is marked by shared struggles and unspoken familial tensions.

Emily Austin

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