--- description: Find out why "After the Funeral" by Tessa Hadley is on TIME's list of the must-read books of the year. title: 'After the Funeral' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2023 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2599d0b2c667de2c/698a41f709208f0c9141ae5b/AfterTheFuneral.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Nov 14, 2023 # After the Funeral by Tessa Hadley by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  [Tessa Hadley’s](https://time.com/4170777/in-a-new-novel-past-is-prologue/ "undefined") short story collection _After the Funeral and Other Stories_ is about those moments of happenstance that change the trajectory of a life. Across 12 stories, the best-selling British author writes shrewd but compassionate profiles of characters, mostly women, who are at odds with their families, their partners, and even themselves. It’s through coincidence—a literal run-in with an ex-husband, a missed connection with an estranged sister, an unexpected dinner guest—that these unassuming characters are given a chance to reflect on who they have become and who they’d like to be. In “Funny Little Snake,” 24-year-old Valerie finds herself caring for her older husband’s 9-year-old daughter. After forming an unlikely bond with the child, who has long been neglected by her parents, Valerie makes a questionable decision that she hopes will put them both on exciting new paths. Like much of Hadley’s sharp-witted collection, this tale ends ambiguously. Just as it appears our protagonist is on the brink of a breakthrough, we are left to wonder if people really can change. —_Shannon Carlin_ **Buy Now:** _After the Funeral_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9780593536193 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/473rsTP "undefined") After the Funeral: 100 Must-Read Books of 2023 ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332647/after-the-funeral/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332647/after-the-funeral/"},"headline":"After the Funeral","datePublished":"2023-11-14T12:30:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:25:45.208Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332647/after-the-funeral/","keywords":["Books","list","best books"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2599d0b2c667de2c/698a41f709208f0c9141ae5b/AfterTheFuneral.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2599d0b2c667de2c/698a41f709208f0c9141ae5b/AfterTheFuneral.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332647/after-the-funeral/","name":"After the Funeral"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME's 100 Must-Read Books of 2023","description":"","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/WppeqCEz/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2023-11-13T19:20:52.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WppeqCEz.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332647/after-the-funeral/","duration":"PT1M28S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332647/after-the-funeral/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```