I admit I found this book difficult to grasp. The writing is beautiful, I really like the idea of what it's trying to do, but something in the execution didn't quite work for me. I enjoyed the scenes between Wolf and Mrs. Death, thought it was quite funny sometimes, but overall, I found the story hard to get into because so much of it is abstract, and the narrative arc was so unclear for much of the novel. I don't think this is the fault of the novel, however, it's just something that I don't enjoy so much.

This strange, confusing, poetic, unusual, angry, meditative and funny book about two individuals: the Grim Reaper, who is actually a black woman, and a young writer, Wolf Willeford, who has had their own close encounter with Death in their childhood. Death wants Wolf to writer her story, which is of a terribly long life, and of all the many people Death has crowding her memories.
What follows is poetry, interviews, and short stories about people in the past who all happen to sport the name Willeford.

The book is daring and beautiful and visceral and frustrating, and also feels so much bigger and deeper than its short length. It's peculiar, and satisfying.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Canongate for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Warning: spoilers within.

Normally I do my best to avoid spoilers in a review, but this book is so much more than it seems based on the synopsis that I feel like the truth of what it is actually about needs to be known.

You'd think, reading the synopsis, that this is about Mrs. Death. Maybe, you'd think, it's a little bit horror or some magical realism or contemporary fantasy, but that's not what it is at all, not really. Because though Mrs. Death is the titular character, this book is about Wolf Willeford.

Wolf spends the entire novel writing down the stories, notes, and poems that Mrs. Death shares with him. Half the book reads like sitting in a smoky bar listening to some disillusioned young person do a bit of spoken-word poetry, and the other half reads like the crazed, barely legible notebooks you'd find left behind in the apartment of a madman.

Wolf Willeford suffers from a host of mental health issues, which become more and more apparent as the book progresses. These writings, they're his musings, his questions, his history, his existential dread, his rantings, his desperate cry for help and for a way to understand himself.

I was tempted to give up on this book many times, frustrated with the writing style or impatient to get to some kind of story line, but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. I am sure there are those who will hate this book because it truly is more random ramblings and barely coherent stream-of-consciousness writing than any kind of an actual story. But for those willing to slow down a bit and read between the lines, there IS a story here, it's Wolf's story, Wolf's journey. We get no clear cut ending, no happy resolution, but we don't get assured doom and gloom either.

What you do get, if you read to the end and let yourself have a bit of time to mull it over in your head, is a tale of both sadness and madness, beautiful writing interspersed with words that barely form sentences, but in the most brilliant way, because the author is giving us a bipolar person as they truly can be at times, giddy and depressed and creative and messy and loving and afraid and utterly overwhelmed.

My mother was diagnosed as bipolar many years ago, back when it was still called "manic depression" and perhaps because of this, this book struck a deep chord with me. I felt like I knew Wolf in the end, wanted the best for him, understood that the best for him might not be all that great according to some, but wishing him peace above all else. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time.

Book Review: Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden

My Rating: 4/5 stars

Release Date: February 1st 2022 (US Release)

Thank you to Netgalley and Canongate Books for an early review copy of this book!

My Thoughts: This book follows Mrs. Death and Wolf, a young writer. Wolf becomes the scribe for Mrs Death, writing stories about what she’s experienced and seen. A mixture of prose, poetry, and narrative, this book tells the story Mrs. Death for who she really is. A working class Black woman who shape-shifts in order to blend in.

This book had a lot of commentary on death (obvi) and how without it we aren’t really living. Everything needs an end, and death is ours. It talks of sadness, pain, and grief. How death is everywhere, even if we ignore it. This book is very blunt with it’s language about death, which can be a sensitive subject to some. So if you are one of those people, I suggest skipping this one if it’ll upset you greatly.

I enjoyed the way this novel was written, which honestly surprised me. I’m the kind of person that doesn’t always enjoy quirky eccentric ways of writing, but I was still able to understand what was happening despite that. The commentary on how people assume Death is a man was also interesting and thought provoking. “For surely only she who bears it, she who gave you life, can be she who has the power to take it.”

Overall I did really enjoy this book, it was unlike any other novel I’ve ever read! Get you a copy when it comes out tomorrow in the US! You wont regret it!

This book was quite different than what I was expecting, and I did not have many expectations. It was poetic, it was beautifully written, and I saved more quotes from it than any book I've read lately.

It will not please everyone, and you need to aproach it with an open mind, but you will not be disappointed.

*I received this book for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

No substance.

I was interested in the premise and the cover is unique. It started with a good hook then it just kept repeating itself and going in circles. There was no plot and it wasn't as philosophical as I thought it would be.

It said,

"Life and birth was always about eggs and shit. Volcanic. Sulphur. Fertiliser. Farts. The vagina awakes, yawns, stretches, and burps and there we have blood, and from blood is life and love".

I thought it was dumb and one-dimensional. As though it was written keeping in mind there was a word count to be met. Then wrapped up with "we end this book with a silent salute and leave six pages blank...." (for memorial purposes). Like the author had no idea what to write about to begin with and no idea how to end the book.

Thank you Canongate Books US for the review copy!

"When hate is rising, then love can only rise higher."

Here's what constitutes great storytelling for me: a story becomes a quasi-relationship in which I trust my partner (the author) to point me in a direction and walk along with me, side by side, along the bumpy road until we reach a destination. And I don't mean a great destination; but rather a great journey. And for that we need a sense of direction.

And that was exactly what the book promised in its unorthodox first 20% of the book. It convinced me that death isn't the grim reaper with a hood and scythe but an old black woman, lurking in the periphery of your vision, almost invisible, exhausted from her eternal chores.

"All I know for sure is that unless the humans change the way they are living, they cannot change the way they are dying."

But after that I wasn't sure what the book was set out to do? What was it aiming to accomplish?

In tone, the writing establishes itself as quirky from even before the first chapter. From the introduction, it doesn't leave a shadow of doubt that this is going to be an idiosyncratic, experimental read. And for a short while, it delivers. But then the writing goes all over the place, the plot is thrown out of the window, and the story becomes bestrewn with morals. It runs in every direction, pointing out every ill in the world (racism, misogyny, shunning migrants, the climate crisis, xenophobia, transphobia, homophobia, writers' struggle for representation )—and don't get me wrong, I heartily agree with the author's views— but the sum of the parts felt like a bunch of stuff thrown into a blender without finesse that the whole felt chunky and tasteless. What kept me going was the interception of beautifully put passages that resonate with me as a person, my views, my hopes and ideals.

"It is your job, your only job, to seek out and support and nurture heroes, this is all your responsibility. We can all do our part in the chain, to help others to help others, to help the others who help the others who inspire and help others."

Not to mention how the PoV's are handled throughout the book. Sometimes we get Wolf's first person narrative, sometimes it's Mrs Death's narrative, other times, it's an omniscient third person; all those Pov's do not come together; there are no intersectionality that binds the whole thing together. It felt random and confusing at times. And let's revisit that relationship metaphor: no amount of poetry or prose, no matter how eloquently put, will substitute actions in a relationship, or plot in a story.

Overall, the book is an invitation to think beyond our own small cares, a little further from the mundane business of daily life and a bit closer to what ties us as human beings together and to the wide world. It's a reminder of the importance of living life in earnest rather than merely surviving. You better actually live before you die.

"Breathe. To imagine your own life is to be living. To be friends, to be friendly with the knowledge, the knowing that living is now, this should make you try harder to be living, to be fully alive and lively."

Many thanks to Canongate books and NetGalley for my eArc.

Well this was definitely the oddest book I’ve read in a while! I honestly don’t even know how I feel about it let alone how to write a review for it!

There were definitely a lot of interesting topics discussed in a thought out way which I enjoyed but the poetry and prose was hard to follow at times, and often read like someone’s private journal ramblings rather than a novel meant for public consumption.

I can definitely see this being a polarising book but personally I guess I just felt a bit ‘meh’ about it?

I struggled to keep up with this when I attempted to read as an ebook so switched to audio pretty quickly which I definitely recommend.

Overall, I’m glad I read this one but I won’t be rushing to pick up more from this author…

An interesting premise but I had a hard time staying engaged with the story. I really enjoyed the formatting and writing style so I would definitely try out this author again. I just think this story wasn't what I had expected it to be.

Highly recommend for originality alone. Very strong writing, amazing cover, and a unique voice that is sorely needed.

Was it perfect? No. This is a book I wish had a stronger edit, but still a very worthwhile read.

Thanks to the pub and NetGalley for the review copy!

There was some I did like (the poetry, the lyrical prose, the beauty in description) but there was a lot that was just, ramblings of repetitiveness. It was hard to finish, but I did it. Overall, I don't think this one was for me.

Thanks to Canongate and NetGalley for a copy of this book in advance of its paperback publication in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the style of this book -- strange, quirky, and brutally honest. That is always something that I vibe really well with. However, I think the content gave me some whiplash when it came to the intensity of it, going from really insightful comments about death to violence and sex and depression and all that. I think I wanted it to be as forthcoming as it was in the intro the whole time -- but this business with Wolfie and Mrs Death and all of it was a bit much. However, I think it's a really interesting piece of work.

3 stars.

Mrs. Death has had enough with her job of ending lives. She decides to finally make herself known to one man, Wolf, a writer haunted by loss, in hopes that he will write her life story. This combination of poetry and prose is perfect for fans of Matt Haig.

What did I like about this book? First and foremost, the writing style in the prose. Particularly in the introduction, I liked the way feelings describing loss and sadness were described and how the narrative acknowledged the reader. I liked just the idea around Mrs. Death in general and the conversations explicitly had in the story: how death is usually portrayed as a man, how burdened she is, how she chooses to portray herself as a poor Black woman. I liked Wolf and how important writing was to the story. What wasn't I a fan of? The poetry did not particularly resonate with me. The loose structure of this also made me less invested in the story. I was left feeling underwhelmed after finishing this, even though I really liked what Godden had to say.

Overall, I think anyone who loves Mitch Albom or Matt Haig would adore this rumination on life and loss.

this book was an experience. when i think of my time reading this, i remember being alternately annoyed, moved, slightly embarrassed and confused. a strange premise, a postmodern historical contemporary prose poetry amalgam, godden's debut is ambitious and thoughtful. i think that this would've been much better read via audiobook, on account of the fact that the stops and starts i felt were cringeworthy or didn't land may have fared better (also, godden is quite the performer). overall, especially in the wake of the bronx fire, i found myself really affected by the discussion of grenfell and think it was the perfect time to pick up this novel. not perfect by any means, but still a worthwhile and interesting read.

Mrs Death Misses Death is a short novel, but is moving, and at times, difficult to read due to the subject matter.

It is exhausting being Mrs Death. Everyone believes Death is the Grim Reaper. No one would guess that Death is an older Black, working-class woman. Mrs Death has been there at the end of peoples’ lives since the First Morning of the First Mourning.

Now, in the present day, Mrs Death wishes to tell her story to a willing ear. Wolf Willeford is more than willing to transcribe Mrs Death’s words. He is no stranger to death, having survived a fire that killed many, including his mother.

When he sits at The Desk, he is can hear Mrs Death’s words, songs, and poems. As the two work together, they form a close bond and visualize a bright future for humanity.

I have never read a book like this before. This book skillfully combines prose and verse in a very engaging way. I would love to listen to this as an audiobook.

Death is literally in the title, so be fair warned that this isn’t always a nice and cozy story. There are discussions on real-life serial killers and their victims, which are graphic. They do not glamourize it but remind the reader that it happened. The author also discusses mental health, BLM, police brutality, and racism.

I will read whatever Salena Godden writes in the future, even if it is merely a grocery list.

Thank you to Canongate for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

An unusual read that won't be for everyone. Mrs Death has been unseen for years but now she's telling her story to Wolf, a young writer, who takes it all in. She's been present for innumerable deaths, even facilitating some of them, and she's got insight we can all benefit from. It's not a linear novel and it's written in snippets and verse. It's both dark and comedic with unexpected turns. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, For fans of literary fiction.

DNF'd at 20%. It's evident that this is a novel written by a poet, and the poet resents prose so much she can't resist the urge to make every sentence sound poetic. The result is overburdened, ponderous, self-grandiose. The big meditations on death don't offer any original insight and ultimately come off as trite. This is a disappointing waste of a somewhat interesting premise.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4478482174

A review of this book that I saw said that this was a beautiful book told in verse. This piqued my interest because I have had a lot of success and joy with stories told in verse, however, this one is only partially in verse. Aside from poems, it is also told through regular prose, letters, diary entries, dialogues, and transcripts. I’ve had less success with some of these other mediums, if it was just verse I would have enjoyed this more.

The chapters alternate between prose chapters narrated by Wolf, and the more mixed media chapters of Mrs. Death. While the chapters of Mrs. Death were interesting, as they danced through time, I found Wolf’s chapters to be quite boring and to drag the pacing down. I’m sure other readers will feel the opposite, enjoying the more traditional narration of Wolf compared to the more innovative chapters of Mrs. Death. I was just looking forward to more verse than I got, which made the traditional prose chapters really slow for me. I kept wanting to skip them for Mrs. Death’s chapters.

Something that should be mentioned is that this book is dark. That should sound obvious as it deals with death, but I think that some readers might be surprised as to the range of ways to die that is discussed in this novel. It’s not as graphic as it could be, but I think readers who could be considered extremely squeamish will probably still have issues reading it. However, along with the death, it discusses loss and grief, resilience, love, friendship, and time. There are a lot of great themes running throughout that will appeal to many.

Overall, I think that this story isn’t going to find mass fame. There is something too subtle and too innovative about it to hold mass appeal, but I think it is going to find a niche of highly dedicated fans. A group of people who are going to recommend this to everyone they meet and shout its virtues from the rooftop. I wish I was one of them, but I didn’t enjoy it enough to recommend it to everyone I meet. However, I can see recommending it to certain people and fans of quirky dark books.

Thank you to Netgalley, Canongate, and the author for providing me with an eARC of this book, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mrs Death Misses Death is experimental, interesting and fun. It also has depth and there are some touching scenes. Still, overall I fear it has not made a lasting impression on me. It is not easy to explain why not. There is certainly good writing, but I found it too disjointed to be absorbed by it. Perhaps I spent too much time trying to figure out who Mrs Death was and how she could make contact with Wolf.

In fact, I may have approached this too much like a David Mitchell novel, whereas now that I have read some reviews and learned that the author is a poet and activist, I should have rather concentrated on the ideas as such (although the ‘lessons’ about how to live life, how to enjoy life and how to care for our planet were the parts that annoyed me most).

Poetic and compelling - this won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's gorgeous and original. I imagine the audio version will be stellar. A recommended purchase for collection where experimental and lit fic are popular.