Let’s Talk About Hard Things

Sale, host of the podcast Death, Sex & Money, dives deep into “hard conversations” in her empathetic debut. Sale writes that talking openly about death, sex, money, family, and identity is crucial to understanding “how our experiences fit into broader patterns that we can learn from and take solace in,” and she walks readers through the importance of discussing each topic. In “Death,” she writes that acknowledging its inevitability can help the grieving and the dying “find companions in that pain.” “Sex” covers an uncomfortable postpartum experience Sale had at an OB-GYN office and offers that “sex is one of the most potent ways we communicate with one another.” In “Money,” she encourages readers to discuss both the emotional and practical aspects of wealth, even when it seems more polite to stay quiet. In addition to her own experiences, Sale offers no shortage of outside perspectives through interviews with former podcast guests, friends, and psychologists (Brad Kontz, for example, breaks down personality types based on one’s relationship with money). Fans of Sale’s podcast will find a familiar guide in her reflective and introspective voice, and those encountering her for the first time will find this a comfort in hard times. Agent: Daniel Greenberg, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency. (May)