The Catastrophe Hour

One of the seminal voices of Generation X, award-winning essayist and much-loved podcaster Daum delivers a brilliant collection of thrilling essays that touch on aging, divorce, dating, real estate, death and money.

For the last five or six years, on many afternoons around 4 or 5 p.m., I’ve been overcome with the sensation that my life is effectively over. This is not a sensation of the world ending; it’s a distinct feeling of being at the end of my days. My time, while technically not “up,” is disappearing in the rearview mirror. The fact that this feeling of ambient doom tends to coincide with the blue-tinged, pre-gloaming light of the late afternoon lends to the whole thing a cosmic beauty, as devastating as it is awe-inspiring. As such, I’ve dubbed this the catastrophe hour.

In this rapturously reviewed collection Daum showcases her wit, intellect and uncanny ability to throw new light on even the most ubiquitous of subjects. Daum’s unflinching honesty and exacting observations secure her reputation as one of our most important and enduring essayists.