Smoke Gets in your Eyes cover art

Smoke Gets in your Eyes

And Other Lessons from the Crematorium

Preview

Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Smoke Gets in your Eyes

By: Caitlin Doughty
Narrated by: Caitlin Doughty
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $21.99

Buy Now for $21.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

From her first day at Westwind Cremation & Burial, 23-year-old Caitlin Doughty threw herself into her curious new profession. Coming face-to-face with the very thing we go to great lengths to avoid thinking about, she started to wonder about the lives of those she cremated and the mourning families they left behind, and found herself confounded by people's erratic reactions to death.

Exploring our death rituals - and those of other cultures - she pleads the case for healthier attitudes around death and dying. Full of bizarre encounters, gallows humour and vivid characters (both living and very dead), this illuminating account makes this otherwise terrifying subject inviting and fascinating.

©2016 Caitlin Doughty (P)2016 Audible, Ltd
Customs & Traditions Death & Dying Thought-Provoking

Critic Reviews

"Unforgettable...a hilarious, poignant and impassioned plea to revolutionise our attitudes to death."(Gavin Francis, Guardian)
"A zingy, fresh and possibly even important book about death...This book might change your life." ( Evening Standard)
"Upbeat, brave and brilliantly, morbidly curious...Important and timely." ( Sunday Times)

What listeners say about Smoke Gets in your Eyes

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    474
  • 4 Stars
    95
  • 3 Stars
    24
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    4
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    460
  • 4 Stars
    81
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    439
  • 4 Stars
    93
  • 3 Stars
    26
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story to listen to

Caitlyn makes listening to topics in the death industry so very easy. Always entertaining with a nice amount of humour, she is my new addiction!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable, thought provoking, insightful

Really enjoyable and insightful journey into a taboo world. There were some moments where I thought “I’m not sure if I want to hear this”, but the material is presented in such an interesting and thought-provoking manner, I just couldn’t help myself.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

thank you for everything you've done for my death

I've been following ask a mortician for some time now but I recently purchased the physical copy of Smoke gets in your eyes however ironically enough I've got a problems and so I decided to purchase it on audible because I find it easier sometimes to listen not only does Caitlin have a great ASMR voice and she's extremely charismatic when she speaks the bet book was funny anecdotal peaceful nerve wracking exciting and dead this lady has greatly healed me from many years of a terrifyingly crippling fear of death I have never felt so more at peace with death since Caitlin and this book is fantastic it's so informative about your rights about the realism of the world and how we perceive death and dying and the funeral industry a lot of the funeral industry really does rip our loved ones these dead bodies away from us almost like that of somebody ripping a baby out of your arms then everything is just so secretive I think the order of the good death is a beautiful and wonderful new design to help us as people as beings of this planet as animals just as equally as every other animal to learn to accept our mortality and to embrace it everybody has their own spiritual belief but everybody's going to die and that's absolutely correct and you can't control it and just having her own theory like she's had her own near-death experience and she was ready to go and this lady is extremely empowering I think she is a fantastic role model for young girls and young women and even older women and I actually wholeheartedly agree on the topic that she speaks of with prolonging death as well there's a lot of things that she touches on that really does in a way because we're so disconnected we know subconsciously in the back of our minds we do suppress it we know that she's right and a lot of these people in this death industry know that she's right but the fair fear of something or pushing it away only increases fear of the thing itself and what Caitlin's doing is she's bringing it back to the Frontline she's literally pushing up daisies if you know what I mean hahaha this is one of the best books I've read in the last decade thank you Caitlin all my love one of your humble video patrons.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A beautiful book worthy of a close listen

I loved the hell out of this book, no pun intended.

Written with dark honesty and a touch of humour, Caitlin writes about her life, twisted along with the corpses whose lives that have ended. I learnt so much about the death industry, and how death is observed in many cultures around the globe.

Five stars all around!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Caitlin became my most interesting friend

There were definitely confronting times but it was also a lovely coming of age story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Matter of fact

Slightly humerours but a matter of fact look at the death industry. k k l

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Realities of a Crematorium

This is my first book from Caitlin that I've listened to and all I can say is "WOW!".
As someone who has never witnessed a death/seen a dead body, this book showed me how delicate life can be; and also leaves me questioning what I would want done with my body when the time comes.
Also as a fan of her YouTube channel, it was great having her read it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An interesting listen

The book definitely gives you an interesting perspective on death and the death industry.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I’m not afraid anymore

I loved this book - so funny. Make no bones about it there is nothing morbid about it!

I listened by a resort pool and had to move as I was constantly laughing out loud.

Not only is Caitlin Doughty a good writer and super smart she has a killer sense of humour.
Can’t wait until her next book.
Trish




Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating and important conversations

I loved this book, and of course, narrated beautifully by the author herself, Caitlin opens and continues many conversations and thought provoking insights into the life cycle of death. I feel so many of us would benefit from using this content to start those conversations. Thanks, a great read/listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.