Alison Larkin is snowed in at her home in Stockbridge, Massachusetts when we speak, and snug as a bug in a rub. “I love it here,” the comedian says, “It’s so beautiful but very cold.”
Sitting at her kitchen table, the comedian is preparing to come to the UK, not with a stand-up show, but to appear at Oxford Literary Festival with her new book ‘Grief – A Comedy‘.
‘I can imagine him sitting here right now laughing at something. When someone you really love dies you know what they would say’
Because in 2020 the love of her life Bhima died unexpectedly a few days after the couple had agreed to spend the rest of their lives together, leaving her to rebuild her life and learn to somehow live without him.
To help process her immense grief Alison wrote a show Grief – A Comedy, which premiered at Soho Theatre, triumphed at Edinburgh Festival Fringe and toured extensively, proving a great success.
‘it’s about finding joy in the midst of loss and choosing hope’
And yet she had more to say and so sat down and wrote Grief – A Comedy the book, which has you weeping and laughing in equal measure.
“I can imagine him sitting here right now laughing at something. When someone you really love dies you know what they would say,” she replies when I ask if you still talks to Bhima – a theme of the book.
And while Alison’s story isn’t unique, something she points out frequently, Alison is. The award-winning comedian headlined at The Comedy Store in LA and spent three years under Hollywood development contract to star in her own sitcom. She is also currently developing a TV of Grief A Comedy stage show.
she wrote that for both of them, falling in love was like taking off a very tight pair of shoes
As an actress she appeared on and off Broadway and has done numerous voiceovers in countless movies, games and cartoons from Grand Theft Auto 5 to The Wonderpets, as well as narrating over 250 audiobooks and founding Alison Larkin Presents.
Neither is she a stranger to writing books Her first novel The English American, was an autobiographical tale about an adopted English woman who finds her birth parents in the USA, quite a history then!
And yet all of this was eclipsed when Bhima died, the brilliant, charming Indian scientist she met in her 50s instantly proving her soulmate. As Alison’s children had left home, she had taken her foot off the pedal to enjoy their relationship, writing that, for both of them, falling in love was like taking off a very tight pair of shoes.
‘Writing a book is a bit like having a baby – you’ve got to get it out of you. You don’t have a choice’
Their love story – as described in Grief – A Comedy is beautiful, funny and endearing, which makes Bhima’s death even more tragic. And yet it does mean that broaching the subject seems rather heartless.
“Oh you can ask me anything you want,” Alison says, “because I’ve taken so much comfort from the incredible responses to the book. So many people who have been through similar things have contacted me about it, and it makes you realise that you’re not alone and that people do find a way through, that you are not the only one experiencing loss and grief. I love hearing their stories – to find joy in the midst of loss and to choose hope.
“But I’ve also heard from so many women who also found love in their 50s for the first time, which is quite fascinating at this age. One lady got in touch who had fallen in love for the first time aged 82. People say love is for the young but oh no it’s not. It’s never too late,” she observes.
‘People say love is for the young but oh no it’s not. It’s never too late’
What’s also extraordinary is that Alison doesn’t shy away from how her journey through grief has helped her appreciate the world more fully and that she’s still open to meeting her next soulmate. “There is love, laughter, grief, loss and hard things happen, but isn’t that life?” she asks. “This too will pass…. so I’m sure I will find love again I just don’t know when, because when you find a connection like that it’s so precious. And of course a sense of humour is mandatory….”
So while she has named it Grief – A Comedy, Alison says: “My book is really a love story. It’s not just about grief, it’s about love and what happens to love when someone dies. It’s such a divided world at the moment and we have to find a common thread. So when Desmond Tutu got in touch to tell me I needed to write a book about my story who was I to argue?
“But I do find writing all consuming. Writing a book is a bit like having a baby – you’ve got to get it out of you. You don’t have a choice. And this was no different. I’ve told what I know. I’ve told my truth through love and laughter and tried to keep it light and short. I don’t want to bore anybody so I’ve tried to make Grief – A Comedy a real page-turner.
“On the other hand I’ve always found standing up on stage easy. Just don’t ask me to clean a kitchen. But I am driven and know how to tell a story and anyway, when you’ve lost the person you love, the worst thing has already happened so you care less what people think.
‘when you’ve lost the person you love, the worst thing has already happened’
“Plus I’m very excited about coming to Oxford Literary Festival. I love Oxford and have spent a lot of time there over the years, so it’s going to be fun spending some time with real writers. I just hope people will come to the talk even though they don’t know me from Adam.
Alison Larkin talks to Christian Santos about Grief: A Comedy, Saturday March 21. 4pm. Weston Lecture Theatre. https://oxfordliteraryfestival.org/literature-events/2026/march-21/grief-a-comedy
Oxford Literary Festival runs from March 21-29. Details here: https://oxfordliteraryfestival.org
