An Oprah Daily Spring 2023 Reading List Pick
Zibby Media Award for 'Best Book For the Griever' 2023
A Kirkus Best Book of 2023

"...striking a deeply resonant chord for anyone who has experienced the obsessive self-searching that often accompanies a sudden loss." -- Oprah Daily

"A gorgeous, grief-stricken remembrance... a wise reminder that we all must "weather the storm" of loss." --People Magazine

"Carson captures the pervasive nature of grief with a poetic voice that beautifully resonates." -- Shondaland

"This is raw, heartfelt, beautiful, soul-opening and real." -- Zibby Owens for Good Morning America

From an exciting new literary voice: a memoir that explores grief, Blackness, and recovery after the death of a dear friend.

After an unexpected phone call on an early morning in 2018, writer and model Eirinie Carson learned of her best friend Larissa’s death. In the wake of her shock, Eirinie attempts to make sense of the events leading up to Larissa’s death and uncovers startling secrets about her life in the process. 

THE DEAD ARE GODS is Eirinie’s striking, intimate, and profoundly moving depiction of life after a sudden loss. Amid navigating moments of intense grief, Eirinie is overwhelmed by her love for Larissa. She finds power in pulling moments of joy from the depths of her emotion. Eirinie’s portrayal of what love feels like after death bursts from the page alongside a timely, honest, and personal exploration of Black love and Black life.

Perhaps, Eirinie proposes, “The only way out is through.”