The Flicker of Old Dreams by Susan HendersonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
About halfway through this gorgeous book my Corgi Baloo got on the dining room table and took it away. I came home to, curiously, a book without its cover, with a few chunks out of the pages, but unbelievably, still able to be read. It was a good excuse to give myself a few days to savor the story and decide whether to order a new copy. I ordered the new copy but resumed reading before it arrived.
This book has it all: exquisitely-drawn characters, mystery, wisdom, and sentences that are perfectly rendered. Henderson is a master of tone and each sentence reveals deep insights into her characters, making them real, leaving the reader with the sense that these people live somewhere in our own past.
It’s the story of a small town holding a grudge even as the town itself is dying. The protagonist, a female mortician, curates the death of the town even as she takes care of its dying people. Through her eyes we witness the beginning and the end.
This is a beautiful book. Highly recommended.
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I’ll give it a look. Thanks. Can’t believe the dog trashed the book. Glad you were able to continue reading it.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a great read.
ReplyDelete