Book Fifty-five: Keturah and Lord Death

Book Fifty-five: Keturah and Lord Death
Finished: November 2
Pages: 214

This National Book Award Finalist was a remarkably quick read, and yet, in those short pages, I was blown away by the imagery in the prose. I have always been fascinated by stories about Death, and this one was no less surprising, for all it's a story that's been told over and over again. A mix of Scheherazade's 1,001 Nights; the myth of Persephone; and traditional fairy tales like Beauty and the Beast, or Cinderella, whose retellings delight me even if they are a little too "kiddy" for me; I loved the characterization of both Keturah, our narrator, the other girls in her village, and Lord Death. I loved the twists and turns in the narrative. I love the ending, because you both expect and don't expect it, and I like to be kept guessing. I like that the story takes place over such a small portion of time, but you still feel close to all the characters.
Definitely more worth the read than anything else that I've read so far this month.

Good Reading,
Caitlin