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Quick answer: If you loved the TV series Six Feet Under, read Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, From Here to Eternity, Stiff and The Undertaking, then try The Corrections, Little Children and This Is Where I Leave You. All treat death and family with dark humor and real feeling.
Six Feet Under followed the Fisher family, who ran a funeral home in Los Angeles while their own lives came apart. It mixed grief, comedy and everyday dysfunction. The books below share that candid look at death and families, from funeral memoirs to novels of messy households. Most are nonfiction or literary fiction, and all are real, in-print books.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke Gets in Your Eyes | Caitlin Doughty | Adult | the closest memoir |
| From Here to Eternity | Caitlin Doughty | Adult | death around the world |
| Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? | Caitlin Doughty | Adult | curious readers |
| Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers | Mary Roach | Adult | death and science |
| The Undertaking | Thomas Lynch | Adult | funeral director's essays |
| The American Way of Death Revisited | Jessica Mitford | Adult | funeral industry critique |
| The Loved One | Evelyn Waugh | Adult | dark satire |
| Being Mortal | Atul Gawande | Adult | end-of-life care |
| The Year of Magical Thinking | Joan Didion | Adult | grief writing |
| The Corrections | Jonathan Franzen | Adult | dysfunctional families |
| Little Children | Tom Perrotta | Adult | suburban secrets |
| This Is Where I Leave You | Jonathan Tropper | Adult | family reunions |
| Commonwealth | Ann Patchett | Adult | blended families |
| Everything I Never Told You | Celeste Ng | Adult | family grief |
| Olive Kitteridge | Elizabeth Strout | Adult | small-town lives |
1. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty
A mortician describes her years working at a crematory. Funny, frank and a good match for the show's attitude toward death.
Best for: the closest memoir.
2. From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty
Doughty visits death customs around the world, from Bolivia to Japan. Curious and warm.
Best for: death around the world.
3. Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? by Caitlin Doughty
Answers questions from children about death and bodies. Funny and surprisingly tender.
Best for: curious readers.
4. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
A science writer explores what happens to bodies after death. Funny, gross and fascinating.
Best for: death and science.
5. The Undertaking by Thomas Lynch
A poet and funeral director writes essays on death and the living. Thoughtful and wry.
Best for: funeral director's essays.
6. The American Way of Death Revisited by Jessica Mitford
A sharp exposé of the funeral industry. Witty and angry, a classic in its field.
Best for: funeral industry critique.
7. The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh
A satire of a Hollywood funeral business and its customers. Short and savage.
Best for: dark satire.
8. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
A surgeon examines aging, illness and end-of-life care. Clear and humane.
Best for: end-of-life care.
9. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Didion's memoir of her husband's sudden death and her daughter's illness. Clear and moving.
Best for: grief writing.
10. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
An aging Midwestern couple and their three grown children collide at Christmas. A long, comic family novel.
Best for: dysfunctional families.
11. Little Children by Tom Perrotta
Parents in a suburb drift into affairs and secrets. Sharp, funny and unsettling.
Best for: suburban secrets.
12. This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
Four adult siblings sit shiva for their father and tangle with old wounds. Funny and warm.
Best for: family reunions.
13. Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
Two families are tied together by an affair and a tragedy across decades. Wise and humane.
Best for: blended families.
14. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
A Chinese American family tries to understand a daughter's death. Quiet and devastating.
Best for: family grief.
15. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Linked stories about a prickly retired teacher in a small Maine town. Honest and moving.
Best for: small-town lives.
How to Choose
For funeral memoirs, start with Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. For science, Stiff. For the industry, The American Way of Death Revisited. For family drama, The Corrections and Commonwealth. For humor and grief, This Is Where I Leave You. Books about death can be heavy, so mix them with lighter reading when needed. Reading about death is easier in good company. A book club or a friend can help you talk through hard chapters. Libraries often keep information on grief groups and local services, and funeral homes may run talks on planning.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Six Feet Under based on a book?
No. It was a TV drama created by Alan Ball, so these books share its themes but are not its source.
What is the Fisher family?
The family at the heart of the show, who run Fisher and Sons Funeral Home in Los Angeles.
What is the best book about funeral work?
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes is the most popular, and The Undertaking is more literary.
Is there humor in books about death?
Yes. Many authors use jokes to make talking about death easier.
Where should I begin if I am new to the topic?
Being Mortal is a clear, kind introduction.
Who created Six Feet Under?
Alan Ball, who also wrote American Beauty.
How many seasons did Six Feet Under run?
Five seasons on HBO, from 2001 to 2005.
Is the show suitable for teens?
It contains mature themes, sex and death, so it suits adults.
What is Caitlin Doughty known for?
She is a mortician and author who runs the Order of the Good Death and a YouTube channel.