Jade Sharma

Twitter Reacts to the Death of Author Jade Sharma at 39

September4, 2019

Jade Sharma, whose 2016 debut novel, Problems, drew praise from critics and fellow authors, has died at 39.

Her death was reported by Catapult, where she worked as a writing instructor. Ruth Curry, who edited Problems, said that Sharma died on July 24.

“Her writing is full of references to being cold, then getting warm,” Curry wrote. “I hope she is warm. I hope she’s never cold again.”

On Twitter, admirers of Sharma reacted with shock and grief at the news of her death.

“So distressed to learn of the death of Jade Sharma,” wrote New Yorker staff writer Alexandra Schwartz. “Her novel ‘Problems’ was brilliant, acerbic, funny, so sad-happy, take-no-shit and true. I’ve been waiting and waiting to see what her next book would be.”

Journalist Thessaly La Force wrote, “I read Jade Sharma’s PROBLEMS in one sitting. I stayed up all night to finish it on a weeknight, going to work bleary eyed the next day. I wanted to live in her mind, her world for as long as her book would allow.”

“I am so, so sad to hear of Jade Sharma's death,” novelist Laura van den Berg wrote. “I didn't know Jade, but I loved her novel PROBLEMS. It was the last book I read in 2017 and I remember thinking there was no better way to close out a year. Sending much love to everyone who knew her.”

The last tweet from Sharma came one week before her death. “my friend passed away,” she wrote. “my other friend got diagnosed with advanced cancer. life is awful. it's important to be kind.”

Michael Schaub is an Austin, Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.

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