A Pre-Anniversary
Toward the end of last year (okay, a few weeks ago), I read a book called West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman. I’ll review it with the other December books soon, but I wanted to unpack a profound thought on page 60.
“Every year, without knowing it, we pass the date of our death,” declares Jonathan Gold, eyes flitting around the table. “How would our lives be different if we knew that date? If we could observe it properly? Celebrate it?”
In other words, until we die, we don’t know what that anniversary will be. But regardless, the date is on the calendar, and we pass it without knowing it every year. Would you want to know the date, like you know your birthday, even if you don’t know the year it will happen? Would you do anything on that date if you knew it would become your death anniversary in the future?
On one hand, I would probably experience a temporary sigh of relief each year when I made it through the day. On the other, it would probably preoccupy my mind on and off throughout the year. Best not to know.
4 comments
Absolutely I would not want to know. In general I am a fan of knowing as much as possible but this would increase my anxiety. No, thank you.
Oh good gracious no. Although have you read They Both Die At the End by Adam Silvera? It’s sort of in that vein, although not annually. It’s gorgeous. But I think I’m perfectly fine with the mystery. Plus, maybe there are a zillion ways we could die and so a zillion dates that are possible, as opposed to just the one? Ugh, now I’m thinking about it…
The Hamster Princess by Ursula Vernon had a lot of fun knowing that she was invincible until her known death date. Not really my cuppa, but if you want to be a hero, known invincibility up to an exact date sure is helpful. Though I suppose IRL if you jumped off a building you could spend a lot of time in horrible pain while not actually being dead.
No, thank you! There’s a lot to be said for blissful ignorance. It’s hard enough being in your 60s, and knowing the next number begins with a 7, and is when my father died, and there’s only limited time (if I’m lucky enough to get there) to do all the things I want to do now.