It feels like death is going to be one of the main characters in this book. Opening in January 1918 just before the Spanish Influenza pandemic, it focuses on a family and the decision they make to move to Philadelphia to learn the role of undertakers after the death of their infant son. While the plot certainly seems like one that will tug at the heartstrings, I wonder if the ever looming presence of death will act as a catalyst for the story or simply drag it down and make it more depressing than needed.