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Mrs Death Misses Death

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Mrs Death Misses Death

By: Salena Godden
Narrated by: Salena Godden
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SHORTLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZE

Mrs Death tells her intoxicating story in this life-affirming fire-starter of a novel

Mrs Death has had enough. She is exhausted from spending eternity doing her job and now she seeks someone to unburden her conscience to. Wolf Willeford, a troubled young writer, is well acquainted with death, but until now hadn’t met Death in person – a black, working-class woman who shape-shifts and does her work unseen.

Enthralled by her stories, Wolf becomes Mrs Death’s scribe, and begins to write her memoirs. Using their desk as a vessel and conduit, Wolf travels across time and place with Mrs Death to witness deaths of past and present and discuss what the future holds for humanity. As the two reflect on the losses they have experienced – or, in the case of Mrs Death, facilitated – their friendship grows into a surprising affirmation of hope, resilience and love. All the while, despite her world-weariness, Death must continue to hold humans’ fates in her hands, appearing in our lives when we least expect her . . .

 Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Grief & Loss Literary Fiction Metaphysical & Visionary Personal Development Relationships
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Critic Reviews

"A fantastically imaginative story about life, death and everything in between – a potent reminder that life is short and every second should be cherished" (IDRIS ELBA)
"A modern-day Pilgrim’s Progress leavened with caustic wit . . . This is not light-hearted stuff, yet Godden has produced a miraculously light-hearted novel . . . an elegant, occasionally uproarious, danse macabre"
"Exquisite. A daring, poetic offering that establishes Godden as one of our most exciting voices. I loved it" (IRENOSEN OKOJIE)
"A rhythmic and powerful poetic meditation on death, life and love and the hidden mysteries of the universe; both playful and sombre, hilarious and human" (NIKESH SHUKLA)
"In this timely and exquisite meditation on breath and its best rhyme, we see a stunning performance poet crowding all the energy, wisdom, passion and laughs of her live work into the solid ingot of this astounding novel, as profound as Cohen, as playful as Brautigan. Salena Goddess, more like" (ALAN MOORE)
"It’s light, it’s dark, it’s twisted and it’s brilliant. As we all encounter life, so too we should all encounter Mrs Death. Poetry, prose, life and death. Salena Godden brings them together with ease. She is a wordsmith of the highest order" (BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH)
"Dark at times – with compelling stories about miscarriages of justice, murder and racial oppression – it is nonetheless celebratory and life-affirming, aglow with love, fortitude and compassion"
"I love Salena Godden and I love Mrs Death Misses Death. Salena, like the lead character, is a force to be reckoned with. If the page were a stage, Mrs Death is its star. She soaks in the spotlight, commanding the eye of the audience. It is an assured debut by a poet whom I hold in the highest regard" (LEMN SISSAY)
"A witty, angry, warm and elemental combination of poetry and prose . . . an exhilarating combination of allegory, poetry and very real fury"
"Salena Godden’s pin-sharp ability to mine the intricacies of human nature fuels her long-awaited debut novel, a life-affirming and unflinching treatise on death and its stark realities. Always playful, infused with her trademark humour and commitment to truth, Godden reinvents the form while staying true to an emotional honesty that’s as forthright as it is courageous. Mrs Death’s finale is some of the most powerful writing I’ve read in years. Here is necessary, beautiful work. Thank God for Godden" (COURTTIA NEWLAND)
All stars
Most relevant
There are lines in this book that will stay with me for years to come. I get the sense it will touch people differently depending on where you are at, which makes it so wonderful.

Beautiful and unique

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As someone who is about to go under for some very major surgery, I couldn't think of a better book to both reassure me and terrify me. Hypnotic and electric. Why care about dying when everyone does it? Because the long disclaimer that the books opens with itself makes life worth living, full as it is with amazing perception of the profound and the quotidian, a panoply of thoughts rich with smiles and wit. I think it belongs on the shelf with those other books of life affirming pessimism such as Pessoa, Robert Burton, Beckett, and, and, I don't know, Leonard Cohen and Kierkegaad?

Spine-tingling

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