The Living End

Nominated for the 2004 Christy Award, Lisa Samson’s contemporary Christian novel The Living End (2003) follows a woman who, losing her husband after 35 years of marriage, decides to fulfill his bucket list to feel close to him. Exploring the themes of religion, marriage, grief, and hope, the book is popular with readers of contemporary Christian fiction. The author of numerous religious novels, critics praise Samson for taking risks with her books and exploring controversial themes. She once volunteered as a worship leader at her local church and worked as a creative writing instructor.

The Living End takes place in the USA. The protagonist, 55-year-old Pearly Stewart, is a housewife dedicated to her husband, Joey. Joey, an extremely popular man, is the local high school principal; she is proud to be his wife. However, although Joey has a busy life, Pearly doesn’t have many outside interests other than church and a few close friends. Because she had a hysterectomy years ago, they did not have children. Pearly doesn’t know how she would cope if anything happened to Joey.

As the book begins, Pearly’s worst nightmare has come true. Not long ago, Joey suffered a stroke at their favorite local restaurant, the Golden Corral. Now he’s on life support, and the doctors warn Pearly that he won’t wake up again. The doctor advises Pearly to turn off the life support machine because it’s the best thing for Joey. Pearly, however, refusing to live without him, plans to kill herself.



Before Pearly turns off the life support machine, she remembers what Joey told her before he collapsed. He told her that he had written a bucket list. He had planned to show it to her, but he collapsed just as he took the note out of his pocket. Pearly reads the list, titled “WHILE I LIVE, I WANT TO,” and leaves the hospital. She decides that, before she kills herself, she will work her way through Joey’s bucket list.

The list contains seven items: whale watching in Alaska, walking along the Appalachian Trail, spending a winter on a mountain, a trip to Peru, a visit to the Central American pyramids, a tattoo, and a special dinner at a fancy restaurant, Haussners. Pearly prays to God for guidance, turns off the machine, and starts planning her adventure.

As Pearly goes over Joey’s bucket list again, she reflects on their marriage. He grew up in a strict Christian home, and he introduced Pearly to religious life. She didn’t think much about God before she married Joey, and even now, she is nowhere near as devoted to God as Joey’s family.



After some reflection, Pearly decides to add her own bucket list to Joey’s. There are things that she has always wanted to do, and now she’s free to do them. She wants to go to a rock concert, run a 10K, learn to play the guitar, and read War and Peace. She decides that she will work through her own list first because it will take her a while to get the money together for Joey’s list.

Pearly starts with running a 10K. Unfortunately, she’s a chain smoker and she doesn’t work out. First, she cuts back on her smoking. When she is down to two cigarettes per day, she starts exercising. It’s tough at first, but she slowly works up from fast walking to running. Getting fitter as the weeks go by, she sets aside the winter to train for a 10K in the spring. When race day arrives, she runs the 10K, thanking God for giving her the strength to reach the finish line.

After the race, Pearly decides to learn the guitar. Not knowing where to find an instructor, she asks her neighbor, a 16-year-old boy, for help. A sweet and gentle boy, he offers to teach her for free. With his help, Pearly finally learns some notes on the guitar, and she can play basic music.



One day, Pearly finds Joey’s old journals. He loved to write, and he often spoke to God and Jesus through his diaries. Pearly knows that she shouldn’t pry, but wanting to learn more about Joey, she reads his journals. She sees how much he loved God, and how he wished that Pearly understood his faith. She cares about God, but she doesn’t care about Scripture or Bible study. It was a part of his life that he felt unable to truly share with her.

Pearly decides that learning about God is more important than finishing a bucket list. She throws herself into Bible study and embraces Scripture. She finally understands the power of God and how believing in Him heals all wounds. She decides that she won’t kill herself—instead, she’ll go on living for Joey and for God.