The Truth about Death by Robert Hellenga - A Novella Rift with Grief & Romance with Lots to Tell Yah

Hellenga is a crafty storyteller with lofty goals of grappling with death, religious convictions and life's meaning.  Hellenga has the midwestern sensibilities of his MI, WI, IL upbringing mixed in with a wanderlust for living abroad (especially in Italy.)  Nine stories intertwine around families dispersing and converging.  Families coping with grief together and alone as is demanded by the nature of mourning; particularly the sudden & unexpected loss of a child.  Despite the seemingly macabre themes, this poignant & clever collection is overflowing with fleeting romance, sumptuous meals, absorbing art, humor & life's perfidies.  The 1st story beings with an undertaker embalming his own father & having his daughter at his side learing the mortuary business with the intent of becoming a partner.  When you feel the stories sliding under the grim reaper's scythe, there will appear a detour (possibly by bus) embarking on an uncertain & hidden route.  The unexpected joy ride is filled with surprises, intrigue and desperation.  There's an unremitting melancholy to the stories but they are doused with gayiety and irreverence.  The final story is the most troubling.  A mother loses her young daughter suddenly & loses her grip on reality requiring hospitalization.  Mournfulness is not the prevailing tone or meme of this cerebral & eccentric novella.  Hellenga is a prof in IL, was educated at the Univ of MI & spent ample  time living abroad.  His writes elegantly with stories that resonate leaving one with a hearty appetite for taking a succulent bite out of life.