A family living and working in a mortuary home in 1918 faces the Spanish Flu epidemic. The role they take on in the community and the impact it has on each of them is portrayed. They have relocated here in hopes of a better life-but at what cost?. The author effectively portrays the tension and sacrifices that were a part of this life. The conflict between protecting themselves and serving their community in time of need is heartbreaking. I enjoy historic fiction for the journey it takes us to other places and times. The writing is beautiful and thought provoking, Here is a sample,
"I no longer fear Death, though I know that I should. I’m strangely at peace with what I used to think of as my enemy. Living seems more the taskmaster of the two, doesn’t it? Life is wonderful and beautiful
but oh, how hard it can be. Dying, by contrast, is easy and simple, almost gentle. But who can I tell such a thing to? No one. I am troubled by how remarkable this feeling is."
"I no longer fear Death, though I know that I should. I’m strangely at peace with what I used to think of as my enemy. Living seems more the taskmaster of the two, doesn’t it? Life is wonderful and beautiful
but oh, how hard it can be. Dying, by contrast, is easy and simple, almost gentle. But who can I tell such a thing to? No one. I am troubled by how remarkable this feeling is."