to die is different than supposed: a novel
Available 2/4/25 from all major online book retailers
We died by bicycle, by a breakfast gone bad, by a fist, a broken promise, a rowboat, letters no one else was supposed to see.
Twenty years ago, the Gable family was nearly perfect—five siblings growing up in an old farmhouse in Pennsylvania with supposedly loving parents. But when a series of devastating events rocks the family—a house fire, the death of their young brother, infidelity, and betrayal—the siblings are left shattered and lost.
Jackson is the oldest, the distant wanderer. Lex is trapped on the other side, desperately trying to communicate. Adrian is on the verge of a breakdown. Ella is haunted, finding comfort in a familiar ghost. Remy is the embittered “good” son. And Calvin is the youngest, the half-brother trying to make sense of inherited pain.
When the estranged siblings come together for their father’s funeral, they must reckon with his legacy of abuse and abandonment, and with the secrets they kept from each other for so long. Will Jackson find it in himself to tell the horrific story the family most needs to hear? Or will they all be forever trapped by their complicated pasts, unable to move into a more hopeful and united future?
Twenty years ago, the Gable family was nearly perfect—five siblings growing up in an old farmhouse in Pennsylvania with supposedly loving parents. But when a series of devastating events rocks the family—a house fire, the death of their young brother, infidelity, and betrayal—the siblings are left shattered and lost.
Jackson is the oldest, the distant wanderer. Lex is trapped on the other side, desperately trying to communicate. Adrian is on the verge of a breakdown. Ella is haunted, finding comfort in a familiar ghost. Remy is the embittered “good” son. And Calvin is the youngest, the half-brother trying to make sense of inherited pain.
When the estranged siblings come together for their father’s funeral, they must reckon with his legacy of abuse and abandonment, and with the secrets they kept from each other for so long. Will Jackson find it in himself to tell the horrific story the family most needs to hear? Or will they all be forever trapped by their complicated pasts, unable to move into a more hopeful and united future?
Advance Praise for To Die is Different THan Supposed:
To Die is Different than Supposed is an achingly beautiful tale of loss and longing, of the before's, during's, and after's that intermingle to compose a life, and the infinite trials, triumphs, joys, miseries, and mysteries of family.
—Rebecca Kauffman, author of Chorus and I’ll Come to You
With lyrical prose and piercing insight, Alissa Butterworth delivers an unforgettable exploration of family, grief, and the power of truth to both destroy and heal. The Gable siblings have always been haunted by loss. When their father dies suddenly, they gather for a funeral that will unearth long-buried secrets and reopen old wounds, forcing them to confront their fractured past. To Die Is Different than Supposed is a poignant exploration of the ties that bind us, even in death.
—William Lychack, author of Cargill Falls
Alissa Butterworth has written a haunted and haunting debut novel—a ghost story, literally and figuratively. To Die Is Different Than Supposed is a family drama told by a chorus of wounded sibling narrators reckoning with a tragic past they’ve never been able to outrun. You’ll be hooked by the first words and stunned by the ending. The moment you finish this moving novel, you’ll immediately want to begin again.
—Nicholas Montemarano, author of If There Are Any Heavens
A compassionate and ruthless debut, To Die is Different than Supposed demonstrates the infinite ways families can be haunted, and how hurts can slide forward and back in time. Butterworth offers tragedy and hope through the Gable siblings, providing a fascinating exploration of how they wrap their personalities around the adults who love them and fail them—and how they rescue and reclaim themselves.
—E.A. Petricone, Shirley Jackson Award-winning author of We, the Girls Who Did Not Make It
To Die Is Different than Supposed relates the arduous passage of a family from the depths of disintegration and rancor to the seemingly impossible aggregation of their souls. Told with raw honesty, Butterworth reveals multiple layers of disappointment, broken dreams, and promises. She peeks into hearts full of hurt, into the secrets that have torn the family apart. Butterworth is a testament to Tolstoy’s dictum, “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” But there are rings of fire and the redemption that comes from traversing them. Upon the death of the patriarch, when all the masks have fallen, in front of a mythical funeral pyre, a triumphant bond of love is forged going forward into the future. This is an impressive debut novel to be cherished.
—Jorge Armenteros, author most recently of The Curvature of an Absence
To Die is Different Than Supposed is a deeply moving and suspenseful story that centers around the death of James Gable, a celebrated, all-American contemporary poet, who was in equal measures loved and feared, hated and admired by his emotionally-struggling family, a vulnerable and engaging crew that includes his current (and second) wife, an ex-wife, and six children, one of the latter deceased. Gable's children grapple, often alone and at odds with each other, with the legacy of their neglectful, complicated, and self-absorbed father...each character has in his or her own way been damaged by the destructive words and actions of the deceased patriarch, all--even if only in spirit, with Lex--will survive him in this heartbreaking and tender story about family and loss.
—Margaret Chen, author of Suburban Gothic and Three Terrible Tales
—Rebecca Kauffman, author of Chorus and I’ll Come to You
With lyrical prose and piercing insight, Alissa Butterworth delivers an unforgettable exploration of family, grief, and the power of truth to both destroy and heal. The Gable siblings have always been haunted by loss. When their father dies suddenly, they gather for a funeral that will unearth long-buried secrets and reopen old wounds, forcing them to confront their fractured past. To Die Is Different than Supposed is a poignant exploration of the ties that bind us, even in death.
—William Lychack, author of Cargill Falls
Alissa Butterworth has written a haunted and haunting debut novel—a ghost story, literally and figuratively. To Die Is Different Than Supposed is a family drama told by a chorus of wounded sibling narrators reckoning with a tragic past they’ve never been able to outrun. You’ll be hooked by the first words and stunned by the ending. The moment you finish this moving novel, you’ll immediately want to begin again.
—Nicholas Montemarano, author of If There Are Any Heavens
A compassionate and ruthless debut, To Die is Different than Supposed demonstrates the infinite ways families can be haunted, and how hurts can slide forward and back in time. Butterworth offers tragedy and hope through the Gable siblings, providing a fascinating exploration of how they wrap their personalities around the adults who love them and fail them—and how they rescue and reclaim themselves.
—E.A. Petricone, Shirley Jackson Award-winning author of We, the Girls Who Did Not Make It
To Die Is Different than Supposed relates the arduous passage of a family from the depths of disintegration and rancor to the seemingly impossible aggregation of their souls. Told with raw honesty, Butterworth reveals multiple layers of disappointment, broken dreams, and promises. She peeks into hearts full of hurt, into the secrets that have torn the family apart. Butterworth is a testament to Tolstoy’s dictum, “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” But there are rings of fire and the redemption that comes from traversing them. Upon the death of the patriarch, when all the masks have fallen, in front of a mythical funeral pyre, a triumphant bond of love is forged going forward into the future. This is an impressive debut novel to be cherished.
—Jorge Armenteros, author most recently of The Curvature of an Absence
To Die is Different Than Supposed is a deeply moving and suspenseful story that centers around the death of James Gable, a celebrated, all-American contemporary poet, who was in equal measures loved and feared, hated and admired by his emotionally-struggling family, a vulnerable and engaging crew that includes his current (and second) wife, an ex-wife, and six children, one of the latter deceased. Gable's children grapple, often alone and at odds with each other, with the legacy of their neglectful, complicated, and self-absorbed father...each character has in his or her own way been damaged by the destructive words and actions of the deceased patriarch, all--even if only in spirit, with Lex--will survive him in this heartbreaking and tender story about family and loss.
—Margaret Chen, author of Suburban Gothic and Three Terrible Tales