‘I’ve a body out the back for you…”

Imagine having that sentence said to you. And then imagine it actually being pertinent. Welcome to Evie King’s world.

What happens if you die without family or money? The answer to this very three-in-the-morning question is that Evie, or someone like her, will step in and arrange your funeral.

Evie is a local council worker charged with carrying out Section 46 funerals under the Public Health Act. Or to put it in less cold, legislative language, funerals for those with nobody around, willing or able to bury or cremate them.

Ashes to Admin lifts the coffin lid on some moving and unexpected personal life stories. Sometimes tragic, as with the case of an unidentified woman found on a beach buried without even a name, but often uplifting and occasionally hilarious.

Ultimately, Evie discovers that her job is more about life than it is about death, funerals being for the living and death being merely a trigger to rediscover life and celebrate it against the odds.

We’ve scheduled this book group discussion for Demystifying Death Week which takes place from 5 to 11 May 2025. It’s a week that’s intended to encourage open conversations about death, dying, and grief; to help break down the stigma and taboo around death and dying; and to promote the importance of talking about end-of-life issues.

Evie’s book offers us a starting point for some of these conversations. Read our interview with Evie where she talks about learning to live with death through admin …

We want our book group participants to feel as welcome, respected and comfortable as possible, so we ask that you follow the CARE principles: Confidentiality, Attention, Respect, Enjoy.

Copies of the book should be available from all your usual book suppliers or ask at your local library. Another way to support independent bookshops is to order from Typewronger Books or through bookshop.org.

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