One Day We’re All Going to Die is a raw, unfiltered, emotional read that puts the Jewish faith, customs and conflicts on display.
Despite having a job at The Jewish Museum that she loves, 27-year-old Naomi is unsure about her life. She has been overly supported by her parents. However, there are strings attached, particularly around their Jewish culture and her love life.
When a workplace affair with her Jewish boss, Justin, implodes, Naomi quits her job. She moves home and, after a suitable grieving period, she emerges and falls in love with non-Jewish Moses. Her parents stage an intervention and lay their cards on the table.
This is a very tender story, but also very raw. Cookie, Naomi’s grandmother, is a beautiful character and is the conduit that reminds the family why their faith is so important. She is also quite irreverent and provides the light relief the novel needs. Naomi is surrounded by voices from the dead and the desire to honour their stories in the modern world is beautifully explored. As is the counterbalance of Naomi living with a measure of normalcy and free will.
I really enjoyed reading this very different coming-of-age tale and exploring the complex questions that surround culture, identity politics and generational trauma in contemporary Australia.
Reviewed by Nicola Skinstad
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elise Esther Hearst is a Melbourne-based author and playwright. Elise trained in London at the Royal Court Theatre and her plays include Bright World, co-written with Andrea James (Theatreworks), The Mesh (Red Stitch) and The Sea Project (Griffin Theatre) which was shortlisted for the Griffin Award.
In 2019-20, Elise was a resident writer at Melbourne Theatre Company. She is currently working on a commission for Melbourne Theatre Company. In 2020 Elise’s non-fiction story, ‘Naming Rights’ was published in the 2020 edition of Antithesis Journal. She was also a guest at the 2021 Jewish Book Week.
Elise’s debut novel, One Day We Are All Going To Die, is a fast-paced, sexy and darkly humorous story. It follows a 27-year-old single Jewish woman in Melbourne who must learn to reconcile family and cultural expectations with her own desires.
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