A BookPage Most Anticipated YA Book of 2023 An Indigo Best Teen Book of the Year One of Kirkus 's Best Teen/YA of 2023 PRAISE FOR Funeral Songs for Dying Girls : "Winifred is an engaging lead with an emotional and fulfilling journey. Artfully melding horror, deadpan humor, and an impossible romance, this well-crafted narrative from Dimaline follows lived-in characters who are tortured by grief. Atmospheric, intimate, and melodic; the rich storytelling sings." -- STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews "[A] story of healing. Dimaline has created a rich world of complex characters with a narrative that oscillates from love story to suspense-thriller -- sometimes within the same chapter -- without any tonal whiplash. Funeral Songs for Dying Girls is a complex exploration of grief, family, and love that will appeal to teens and adults alike." -- STARRED REVIEW, Quill & Quire "Contemplative prose excels in its portrayal of a reclusive protagonist longing for connection and overcoming grief while living in a neighborhood that shuns her for perceived shortcomings, presenting a textured narrative about loss and love." -- Publishers Weekly "This lyrical ghost story portrays how a bond between two girls -- one living, one not -- transforms the grief that roots them both in place.
Wrenching and poignant, Funeral Songs for Dying Girls is a haunting tale about what it means to search for home -- not the place, but the feeling you carry with you." -- BookPage "Dimaline's intense, bittersweet, and often funny novel is more than a ghost story. Extended portions about the life and death of Phil, a sympathetically rendered ghost character who becomes one of Winifred's first loves, allude to the real-life neglected epidemic of MMIWG2S (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People). Through this novel, Dimaline honors those lost." -- The Horn Book "With beautiful, biting prose, Dimaline's tale of loss and love will challenge its readers to consider how the past can haunt the present if we let it." -- CM: Canadian Review of Materials "Winifred's narration is startling in its honesty . and the result is a deep intimacy that is warm but melancholy." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "[A] literary journey that explores grief, identity, family, and isolation through the lens of a lonely and independent 16-year-old girl.
Dimaline's writing is lyrical and haunting." -- Pine Reads Review.