Oof, this was not for me. Like, so not for me that I maybe shouldn’t even be writing a review, because my brain just bounced off this after about ten pages and then just kept bouncing harder and harder.
This is a speculative fiction, experimental novel by British poet Salena Godden about an anthropomorphized version of Death (here called Mrs. Death, personified by an older Black woman) and her connections to/conversations with a person called Wolf. In addition to the the prose actually feeling like poetry in disguise, there are actual poems inserted throughout.
So please, for the love of god if you do not like poetry, do not be sucked in by that beautiful cover and tantalizing premise like I was. This book is basically a novel in verse, and it is much more interested in exploring concepts and playing around with imagery than it is in having a cohesive plot or character arcs.
I mean, obviously YMMV and there will always be outliers, but I feel pretty comfortable saying that if you only read poetry irregularly and often find yourself being impatient with it when you do, and it’s mostly an exercise in frustration for you like it is for me, then you will probably feel pretty similarly to me regarding this book. I am upset about it, though, because the premise sounded so good, and the cover was so pretty.
[2.5 stars, rounded down]
CBR Passport: New to you authors. (And won’t be reading from again!)