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In our modern world, although it is generally considered that the dead have no existence, a large number of people keep a very close bond with their deceased relatives, either by allowing themselves to be affected by them or by performing concrete acts directed towards them. Defining grief as “actions performed by those left behind to transform the dead and their relationship with them” (Molinié 2006), we analyze, from the perspective of transformations in relationships, the narratives of bereaved subjects interacting with their deceased relatives, both in the West and elsewhere. They often face the challenging choice of either letting go of the dead or hanging on to them. These two relational dynamics generate specific interactions and feelings leading to different transformations and statuses of both the dead and the living.