What Should We Do Instead of Killing Ourselves?

by Elizabeth Gordon

It’s New York City, in the first half of 2018, and Liz, a professional reader in a midsize publishing house has just received a disturbing submission—sender unkown. It’s a handwritten journal detailing its author’s struggle to find a reason to keep living. Shocked and enthralled by the dark philosophies of the journal, Liz knows what she must do: Find its author. But where to start?

Liz struggles to balance her growing obsession with the journal’s author with her ever increasing work load, and fails to keep her new mission hidden from Marcus, her boss. Worse than being upset, Marcus actually wants to publish the journal, and he thinks he’s figured out the author. Only, Marcus’s theory is one Liz absolutely despises. Desperate to prove him wrong, she leaves for Pittsburgh on her own dark journey in search of the truth.

In this profound and timely novel, Liz finds more than she is looking for; she finds a purpose.

335 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2021

About the author

Elizabeth Amancia Gordon wrote the first draft of her debut novel What Should We Do Instead of Killing Ourselves? on the notes app of her iPhone while riding the subway to and from her day job. She lives with her partner in Brooklyn, New York, where she has a complicated relationship with winter. An avid movie fan, her favorite film is Wandafuru Raifu by Hirokazu Koreeda, and she would have gladly moved to LA to write screenplays if she didn’t hate driving cars (even more than snow). You can find her coffee-shop hopping throughout the boroughs, where she’ll be reading, writing, and drinking tea.

Reviews

[Gellybabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

What piqued my interest was the difference between the book description and the title. What would make the author title this book this way? What was in the letters and why did Liz feel the need to follow up? Well, all I can say is if you are feeling depressed or contemplating leaving this earth , I wouldn't recommended reading this book right now. The mood of the book turns really heavy whenever one of the letters are shown. I had to take a lot of breaks reading this book. I gave this 5 stars because there is nothing abjectable about this book but I'm not sure how I feel about what I just read.