Driving with Dead People: A Memoir

By Monica Holloway

Book Overview

Small wonder that, at nine years old, Monica Holloway develops a fascination with the local funeral home. With a father who drives his Ford pickup with a Kodak movie camera sitting shotgun just in case he sees an accident, and whose home movies feature more footage of disasters than of his children, Monica is primed to become a morbid child.

Yet in spite of her father's bouts of violence and abuse, her mother's selfishness and prim denial, and her siblings' personal battles and betrayals, Monica never succumbs to despair. Instead, she forges her own way, thriving at school and becoming fast friends with Julie Kilner, whose father is the town mortician.

She and Julie prefer the casket showroom, where they take turns lying in their favorite coffins, to the parks and grassy backyards in her hometown of Elk Grove, Ohio. In time, Monica and Julie get a job driving the company hearse to pick up bodies at the airport, yet even Monica's growing independence can't protect her from her parents' irresponsibility, and from the feeling that she simply does not deserve to be safe. Little does she know, as she finally strikes out on her own, that her parents' biggest betrayal has yet to be revealed.

Throughout this remarkable memoir of her dysfunctional, eccentric, and wholly unforgettable family, Monica Holloway's prose shines with humor, clear-eyed grace, and an uncommon sense of resilience. Driving with Dead People is an extraordinary real-life tale with a wonderfully observant and resourceful heroine.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416955127
• ISBN13: 9781416955122
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

A page turner.

Driving with Dead People is the book you want for your long plane ride or a bad weather day because it will keep you turning the pages and not wanting it to end. The story is revealed in a unique way, keeping a serious subject as light as possible. This is a must read!

Dare to be so brave!

This book is a gift to all of us who want to tell the truth and share the stories that shape our lives. It is a story woven with grace and humor that clears the path for honesty that our world so desperatley needs! What would this world be like if we each dared to be so brave? It's an amazing book!

A wonderful book!

This book is a joy to read; not a thing typically said of a book about family violence and sexual abuse. Somehow Monica recalls her turbulent childhood and her struggles to reach adulthood with such grace and humor that you find yourself crying and smiling at the same time. The book is definitely sad at times, but never depressing. I loved it, and found myself loving Monica and her sister with all my heart. The hope and love and determination shown by these girls, now women, shines through! This book is a keeper!

Ride Along

Monica Holloway takes us along on the ride of her life, and it's oh-so-worth the trip. She's a fabulous story teller and she has amazing stories to tell. Some of them made me wince; some made me laugh; others made me cry. In the middle of a chaotic weekend, I stayed up into the wee hours for two nights to finish this book. My advice? Buy Driving with Dead People. Take the phone off the hook and cancel your plans. All you're going to want is more.