"In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried" was frequently cited by critics as one of Hempel's strongest stories in her first collection, Reasons to Live. In discussing her sparse, minimalist style, critics often pointed to details in the story like the metaphor of a Hollywood set as the forum for a discussion on death. Discussing the book as a whole, Sybil Steinberg, reviewing the collection for Publishers Weekly, described the stories as "debuting a familiar contemporary hard edge, but a surprisingly sentimental and moving interior." Just two years after Reasons to Live was published, "In the Cemetery" was included in the prestigious classroom textbook The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction.

Though Hempel prefers to call herself a "miniaturist" rather than a minimalist, many critics continue to categorize her as a minimalist. However, since many critics view the minimalist style as outdated, this has put an...