The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried

Seventeen-year-old Dino helps out at his family's funeral home while dealing with his own questions about mortality and his future plans. His routine is disrupted when his estranged best friend July dies unexpectedly - and then inexplicably comes back to life. July and Dino find themselves trapped in a bizarre situation as they try to understand why she has temporarily reanimated. The former best friends are forced to confront their falling out from months ago while also grappling with the strange circumstances of July's undead state. What follows is an unusual road trip and race against time as Dino and July attempt to solve the mystery of her resurrection. Their adventure is complicated by the fact that no one else can know about July's current condition. This darkly humorous novel explores friendship, grief, and the messy complexities of human relationships through a supernatural lens. The story raises questions about second chances and whether some things that are broken can - or should - be fixed.

Readers note the book balances dark humor with emotional depth in exploring grief, friendship, and mortality. The character dynamics between July and Dino create tension that drives the story forward. Liked: - LGBTQ+ representation feels organic and well-integrated - Unique take on zombie/undead tropes - Strong dialogue between main characters - Tackles complex themes while maintaining accessibility Disliked: - Some found the pacing slow in the middle sections - Several readers wanted more development of secondary characters - The ending left questions unanswered according to multiple reviews Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (4,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (80+ ratings) BookBrowse: 4/5 Reader Quote: "The banter between July and Dino kept me turning pages, but I wished for more closure by the end." - Goodreads reviewer The book resonates particularly with YA readers who appreciate darker themes and non-traditional storytelling approaches.

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🌟 The author, Shaun David Hutchinson, worked in a funeral home during his teenage years, which helped inform the authentic mortuary details in the book. 🌟 Despite its zombie elements, the novel explores deep themes of friendship, grief, and acceptance, particularly through the lens of LGBTQ+ experiences. 🌟 The book's unique premise combines elements of magical realism with contemporary young adult fiction, featuring a temporarily reanimated corpse who doesn't fit traditional zombie tropes. 🌟 The protagonist, Dino, comes from a family of morticians - a profession that only about 5% of funeral directors inherit from their parents, making it an increasingly rare family tradition. 🌟 The novel was published in 2019, during a surge of young adult books addressing death and mortality through unconventional narratives, helping to break taboos around discussing death with teens.