Inappropriate Laughter: A Story About Loss, Grief, and Guilt

In this self-help memoir, Taryn Grimes, a writer, producer, and former Broadway, film, and television actress, finds the line between death and comedy unexpectedly blurred.

Taryn, the youngest of seven children, rushes to her 96-year-old mother’s deathbed for one final goodbye. Upon her arrival, she is immersed in the humor commonly used by her family, when dealing with the challenges of their extremely unusual upbringing. At the end of the first day, she is assigned the overwhelming task of administering end-of-life medications. For seven days, she sleeps in the chair by her mother’s bed, giving her medication every few hours, becoming increasingly exhausted, all the while watching as her mother moves closer to breathing her last breath.

After discovering her mother’s journal, Taryn gets lost in the tragic, humorous, and romantic stories of life during World War II. With each entry, she finds one more piece of the puzzle, one more clue to her mother’s life story, and gathers one more life-changing insight.

It’s a whirlwind of discovery, filled with hilarity, frustration, passion, and tears. With brutal honesty, the story delicately balances between emotional vulnerability and the kind of joy that can only be experienced through Inappropriate Laughter.