When he became an undertaker, Rupert Callender undertook to deal with the dead for the sake of the living. What Remains? is the brilliant, unforgettable story of the life and work of a radical undertaker—but it is also a book about ordinary, everyday humanity and our capacity to face death with courage and compassion. To say goodbye to the people we love in our own way. This book is great work of craft and beauty, truth and humanity, heart and soul. I believe it could be used as a teaching tool and as a comfort. I find Callender’s approach to this huge subject deeply loving and moving, but also revolutionary in spirit and courageous.’

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Rupert Callender

Some parts may not be for the squeamish such as the chapter on the embalming process and the environmental hazards of cremation which I hadn’t considered. SARAH VINE: Royal biographer Omid Scobie may be a leech... but the treachery of Harry was so much worse Callendar went all in on undertaking as a career, very much seat of his pants, but with the goals of speaking the truth of the deceased and building a community. The rest of the book details Callendar's growth in this field, from the early funerals to specific ones that challenged him and the creation of a partnership (and marriage) and eventually dissolution of the partnership with his ex wife Claire. A frequent counterpoint and focus of his ire is on the funerary industry as it exists in the United Kingdom. All this before a ending chapter about Callendar's part in a music/media festival with his heroes. James Middleton pushes his newborn son Inigo in his pram as he and wife Alizee Thevenet are spotted Christmas shopping Omid Scobie rips into 'hot-headed' Prince William in extraordinary interview and accuses him of being in 'heir mode' and driving the rift with Harry

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The vocational journey had actually begun much earlier, although he didn’t realise it at the time. He missed the funeral of his own father, whom he adored and who died when he was seven, because someone decided it would be too upsetting for such a young boy. He didn’t go to his grandparents’ funerals either. Soon after his father died, he was sent away to boarding school. It was a traumatic experience and, years later, it still occupies most of his therapy sessions. In contrast, he was exposed to kindness and humanity during the school holidays, watching his mother while she worked at a hospice, a place where dying is part of living. Death, both the negative and positive aspects of it, was all around his early life. As someone who's familiar with the death positive movement, it's interesting to compare Callender's approach to writing and the industry to a similar author and creator like Caitlin Doughty. Callender explicitly says at the beginning of the book that death scares him. Additionally, it's interesting to hear about his experiences in the UK, where there's no required formal training or education for undertaking. Callender's experience is all hands-on, DIY, and based on The Natural Death Handbook. Callender eventually goes on to compile and edit the fifth edition of this book and at times it feels like he's trying to sell you a copy of it. Radical, poignant, unflinchingly real and laugh-aloud funny, What Remains? will change the way you think about life, death and the human experience. The book is read by the author himself, who I found unlikeable, appears bitter for his upbringing (which sounds like it was one of immense privilege) & is insulting of people who don’t agree with his ideas (“reptile brained” being one phrase that springs to mind).