Everything was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt

Travis Smith is Death in the modern world. He lives with his cat in a grey English town. He offers people comfort in their final days and hours of life. He's stoic, gentle, and a little naïve, despite what he knows. He's handsome and seems young, despite what he is. Each death has a meaning to him, and he never tries to change anyone's fate. He listens and never judges, and ultimately escorts each of them to rest.

Travis is desperately lonely, and when he crosses paths with a young single midwife called Dalia who lives across the way and her boisterous eight-year-old daughter Layla, he can't help but be drawn to them. Dalia is beautiful and overwhelmed, and Layla seems to have a never-ending trove of small treasures to show Travis, and he's never felt the importance of making every moment count so clearly. Because he knows what's to come, and he can't make himself look away. As he learns what it means to really experience death, he's torn between his nature and his newfound understanding of the important things about being alive.

Everything was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves explores these profound themes through Travis's poignant journey.