This first person narrative begins as Aaron Rowe has just been taken on as a trainee at a funeral home run by a good soul, John Bolt, who is willing to give him a go. We only know that Aaron is leaving school to take the job and that he has not been happy for a long time. He is quiet and wary but compliant. He seems to have no hopes. But immediately he finds a sense of purpose and calm in the job of being an undertaker's assistant. He is comfortable with and respectful of death, but fearful of emotion. How has a young person come to this?

At home we find Aaron lives in a caravan with Mam - his mother, grandmother, guardian? Mam is loving but disoriented, confused, a danger to herself and perhaps to Aaron also. But he copes. There are other dangers in the caravan park - some dodgy neighbours who are threatening the delicate balance of Aaron's life. Then there are the nightmares - every night for a very long time - and the sleepwalking. The nightmares seem related to Aaron working in the funeral business, but is there more? There sure is.

In The Dead I Know Gardner has written a poignant picture of a young man under all sorts of pressure, fighting for his life in a world that can be cold and lonely. But Aaron is also intelligent, caring and resilient. But for how much longer can he succeed in balancing this tottering load?

My only frustration with this book was that the backstory is kept a secret for longer than was comfortable. There was obviously more to the story but it wasn't really revealed till very late. Perhaps this discomfort is a sign of the power of the story, but I felt very disturbed by Aaron's predicament and would still have had I known a little more a little sooner. Highly recommended.