Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt: A Novel

Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves is a beautifully written, compassionate, very highly recommended literary novel about... the end. Have you ever read a novel and then found yourself quoting from it when in the midst of a serious conversation about a life threatening situation? I have, and this novel was the one I quoted from the day after I read it. I'll be the first to admit that this novel had me in tears frequently as it truly showed the importance of treasuring every moment of your life because it could be your last.

Travis Smith is Death. He's a handsome young man who lives a quietly with a cat who chose him and also works in photo restoration. His real job is to offer comfort to those in their final hours of show more life. He neither judges nor interferes in anyone's fate. He is gentle, compassionate, and present as he visits people in their last moments of life. He understands that every life must eventually end.

Dalia, a midwife, and her boisterous eight-year-old daughter Layla, live across the hall from Travis. Even though he tries to keep his distance, Layla inexplicably adores him and soon Dalia starts a relationship with him. Through them, Travis actually discovers what it means to be alive, the connections people have, and what they lose when a death occurs.

This is a brilliant, heart-felt, lyrical novel that is also a highly emotional novel in which you may find yourself suddenly sobbing while reading. In the narrative are brief scenes of the deaths of people Travis is with at the end of their lives. These scenes are found throughout the plot, even while the relationship between Travis, Dalia, and Layla develops. Many of these short interludes are deeply moving. All of them are ultimately about appreciating and cherishing life even while accepting that in the end death comes for us all.

I loved the title before I even knew what the book was about. After you get a few years under your belt, it becomes easier to long for a place and time where everything is beautiful and nothing hurts. Personally, I looked at Travis as the angel of death. He's not the grim reaper in any sense of the word. He is sympathetic while giving comfort and peace to those facing the end. As for quoting from this book, in different circumstances it might have been from the Bible, and an encouragement to spend time with your loved ones and remember the good while storing your treasures in heaven where they can't be destroyed because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt is an excellent choice for those who enjoy literary novels and can handle a novel about finding beauty in the brevity of life. Thanks to Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster for providing me with an advance reader's copy. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

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I couldn’t put this one down. I both started and finished it today. The writing pulled me in and wouldn’t let go. The main characters were easy to grow attached to and even the folks who were but a blip in the story, added to the overall experience in a way I don’t recall happening before. Keep in mind that I’m an avid reader and my memory isn’t always the best but I feel like I’d have remembered. The author writes both beautifully and viscerally while blending content seamlessly. The pacing impressed me. I typically find books either have a great flow, or they can be jarring, preventing me to be fully captured by the writing. Somehow this author has woven a story where the hard moments, in particular those dealing with show more overwhelming grief, arrive suddenly but without breaking the spell. It’s endearing, heartwarming, and gut-wrenching simultaneously and I know it’s a book I’ll visit again. This should be on your list to buy on release. show less

I received an advance copy of this book. Thank you

I am giving this book 4 stars because it evoked so many different emotions in me. This wasn't a fast read, it was very contemplative for me. I liked that the narrator, Travis, was dead himself, and death was presented like an ordinary/every day person; death is an everyday occurrence. I found it engaging as Travis goes through his days visiting people and interacting. When he comes to visit some people the immediately recognize him for who he is, some welcome him, other are angry and demand that he go away; but he doesn't, he doesn't rise to their bait, and when that's accepted, they find comfort knowing he's there. I found it comforting too, knowing that, at least here, you are not show more alone. Not everyone Travis visits is ready to die, and he and that person have conversations and a relationship.
As I mentioned earlier, I found it comforting thinking about someone not being alone when they die. The story doesn't really go in a straight line, we pop in and out of people's lives, sometimes I found a segment touching and moving, other times, the scene seemed random and gave the book a rambling, slow feel.
Not a fast read, not a happy read, but there is a lot to think about and there are a lot of touching, comforting moments. show less

Travis is modern day death, doing his job with no emotion. Until he meets a precocious little girl and her Mom, and his job takes on a new meaning.

I was so looking forward to reading this, early reviews were so positive. I enjoyed the humanization of death, watching Travis’ empathy come to light. This is a beautifully written, thought provoking book, but heavy. I loved the concept of the stories within the story. Unfortunately for me, it just didn’t sit well. I’m not exactly sure why, maybe because I just read an emotional story about dying, so two heavy books in a row was rough. There were quite a few characters, so the connection wasn’t there. Dalia and Layla tore at my heart. The ending was perfection. This was a debut show more novel, I will definitely read this author again.

Thanks to @avidreaderpress and @netgalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion. show less

It was intriguing as Travis, known as Mister Death, knocked on doors just before the end of a person’s life.

What a depressing job! Some people wanted him to go away, some wanted more time and some just wanted to get over with it and die. He looked like a grubby homeless man in his mid 30s. He had no reason to dress nicely as he had, in my opinion, one of the worst roles imaginable. He wasn’t helpful with answering what happens after death. He was just there to comfort them.

He visited various people providing a brief background and each time, it was predictable that there would be an emotional reaction with guilt, sorrow and heartbreak. However, he followed one mother with an eight-year-old daughter throughout the book. She lived in show more the apartment next to his and her life was filled with lots of family drama. Travis spent time with them verses all the others when he would just pop in and out.

The book was slow-going for me. There were a lot of deaths and after a while, it was enough. I wanted more – maybe to know greater details about the character’s lives. It did make me think about the importance of making things count and leaving no loose ends -- if that’s even possible. The story encourages you to examine your feelings and ponder the big questions regarding your life.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC with an expected release date of July 7, 2026. The thoughts I share are my own. show less

While it had a slightly fantastical joining narrative around Travis, the personification of death, and his experiences with a specific family, this was ultimately a wider meditation on death, grief, and life told through many different individual stories. In this way it was very similar to Remember You Will Die and How High We Go In the Dark, which both have a similar wide focus on the same topics, but with joining narratives that are more scifi.

This was a beautifully written debut novel about death. It is moving and will make you cry and break your heart but it will also make you think. It reminded me of the show Six Feet Under. This book will make an excellent book club discussion. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.