Death and Other Occupational Hazards

 

What if Death clocked out and everything started to unravel?

In Death and Other Occupational Hazards, Veronika Duount gives us a sharp, darkly funny twist on the ultimate job burnout story. Death—yes, thatDeath—decides she’s had enough of ushering souls into the afterlife and takes a much-needed sabbatical as a human on Earth. Predictably, things do not go smoothly.

Trying to pass as human, Death lands a job at a law office and immediately runs headfirst into the mundane annoyances of mortal life: needing money, eating actual food, and navigating social norms she’s never had to care about before. But her break is cut short when she discovers an unplanned death. It’s one that wasn’t approved by the Boss and definitely wasn’t supposed to happen. That single mistake could threaten the balance of the universe itself, forcing Death back into investigative mode to figure out who—or what—is messing with the cosmic order.

What makes this novel shine is its balance. Duount leans hard into the humor. Death’s bafflement at human routines is genuinely funny, but there’s real heart here too. Life and Death are sisters, and their squabbling relationship is familiar, grounded in rivalry and resentment, and deep affection. As Death spends more time among humans, she slowly begins to appreciate the small things she once dismissed: good food, unexpected friendships, and moments of connection that give life its meaning.

Beneath the wit and irreverence, the book quietly explores big ideas about purpose, free will, religion, and what makes existence worth sticking around for. Duount never lets the existential weight crush the fun, striking a smart balance between dark comedy and emotional insight.

Funny, thoughtful, and surprisingly touching, Death and Other Occupational Hazards is a clever reminder that even Death herself might need a reminder of why life matters.

TW for animal lovers: There is a dog in this story. The dog is rescued, befriended, and loved—and later dies. It’s meaningful to the plot, but if animal death is a dealbreaker for you, I wanted to give you a heads-up. Out now. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: how do you feel about books that mix humor with big, existential questions?

#darkhumorbooks

#speculativefiction

#bookreview #fantasyreads

#thoughtfulreads

About the Author

Veronika Dapunt is a British-Austrian writer. Her debut novel, Death and Other Occupational Hazards, was a runner-up for the 2023 Comedy Women in Print Prize. She has always had a love of the darkly comic and the absurd, quite possibly the reason why her first career was in law. Veronika holds a degree from the University of Oxford and currently lives in London.