Member Review
Review by
Sarah F, Media/Journalist
Salena Godden's previous published work has been poetry and memoir, making "Mrs Death Misses Death" her debut novel. I enjoyed the inclusion of a disclaimer at the beginning, which directly addresses the reader and sets our expectations. Death then takes us on a journey back to the beginning of time, then back through evolution. Contrary to common perception, Death in this case is represented by an old, working-class black woman. And as we all know, old women (especially black ones) are invisible.
Mrs Death exudes wisdom and imparts some of this to Wolf Willeford, a writer whose mother died tragically in a fire - the details of which felt like a respectful, rageful nod to Grenfell. Wolf is non-binary and describes themself as "Biracial, Bisexual, Bigender and Bipolar". Their story made me reflect on those I've lost and all those last times, of which I was unaware until it was too late.
Godden's prose has a poetic rhythm like a heartbeat which builds to a frenzy in places. There are many themes explored in the novel, including the lengths to which we will go in an attempt to prolong our lives; the mad diets and self-deprivation. Climate change, our obsession with screens, constant worry, our fight for survival, taking life for granted.
"Mrs Death Misses Death" is also part love letter to London's rich history. There are myriad fringe characters (real and imagined) throughout the text my favourite of whom was Tilly Tuppence and her Ma. Godden also presents us with an interesting theory pertaining to Jack the Ripper. The book is made up of prose, verse and song and I loved all of the side stories. The jazz trumpeter broke my heart. I also learned some new names to research further, e. g. Sarah Reed, Inga Maria Hauser, Joanne Dennehy.
Love (in its many forms) runs through the text like a thread, tying all the strands together. Godden also touches on the maiden/mother/crone archetype, the notion of heroes and the rise in popularity of performative grief. Through an exploration of time and history, she provokes reflection on issues such as how well can we ever really know one another? And what is real, and what is feelings? And what are feelings?
I loved the sections pertaining to The Desk and the idea of the shape the world carves into you. I also found it funny and poignant that The Desk is deeply dismayed it didn't get to be A Piano! Overall the novel is life-affirming and empowering. It's also motivated me to start sorting through some of my crap (both metaphorical and physical) so that nobody else has to deal with it when Mrs Death visits me.
Mrs Death exudes wisdom and imparts some of this to Wolf Willeford, a writer whose mother died tragically in a fire - the details of which felt like a respectful, rageful nod to Grenfell. Wolf is non-binary and describes themself as "Biracial, Bisexual, Bigender and Bipolar". Their story made me reflect on those I've lost and all those last times, of which I was unaware until it was too late.
Godden's prose has a poetic rhythm like a heartbeat which builds to a frenzy in places. There are many themes explored in the novel, including the lengths to which we will go in an attempt to prolong our lives; the mad diets and self-deprivation. Climate change, our obsession with screens, constant worry, our fight for survival, taking life for granted.
"Mrs Death Misses Death" is also part love letter to London's rich history. There are myriad fringe characters (real and imagined) throughout the text my favourite of whom was Tilly Tuppence and her Ma. Godden also presents us with an interesting theory pertaining to Jack the Ripper. The book is made up of prose, verse and song and I loved all of the side stories. The jazz trumpeter broke my heart. I also learned some new names to research further, e. g. Sarah Reed, Inga Maria Hauser, Joanne Dennehy.
Love (in its many forms) runs through the text like a thread, tying all the strands together. Godden also touches on the maiden/mother/crone archetype, the notion of heroes and the rise in popularity of performative grief. Through an exploration of time and history, she provokes reflection on issues such as how well can we ever really know one another? And what is real, and what is feelings? And what are feelings?
I loved the sections pertaining to The Desk and the idea of the shape the world carves into you. I also found it funny and poignant that The Desk is deeply dismayed it didn't get to be A Piano! Overall the novel is life-affirming and empowering. It's also motivated me to start sorting through some of my crap (both metaphorical and physical) so that nobody else has to deal with it when Mrs Death visits me.
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