Synopsis

When Death comes to claim Nella May Carter, she catches His interest with her capacity to find beauty and love even amidst the hell of slavery. So Death – bored, disgusted by humanity, and believing the Earth would be greatly improved should humans no longer exist – lures Nella into a Faustian bargain: the chance at immortal life if she proves that Death is mistaken.

The price: Nella must entertain his fascination and challenge his beliefs until he is satisfied… or surrender herself – and the entire human race – to him forever.

Nella’s solution is to never stop travelling and writing, documenting the beauty in every place and person she encounters – from writing in Victorian ladies’ tattlers and reporting in Gilded Age New York, to penning bestselling novels and memoirs under countless noms de plume. Nella experiences joy and loss, passion and pain; she finds love in its many forms with friends, partners, and lovers.

All the while, Death is watching – and waiting for her to surrender.

Nella is almost ready to concede to Death when she meets a handsome professor. Tired of deception, desperate for a real connection, Nella begins to tell him her story – centred on her greatest romances over the centuries. And, in the telling, it becomes clear that Nella’s own story might be the greatest love story of them all.

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Review

This was an amazing read! The thought of proving to Death that there is good in this world took Nella on a several-century trek, proving to Death that there are good people in this world.

The book is told in several large chunks between the present and the past, and even into the future, as Nella tells her story to a professor, Sebastian. He is a new potential love in her life, and the one person she finally feels comfortable sharing her journey with over the last few centuries. Her tale shares her loves, losses, and experiences in the different eras. The author stays true to the historical events and to how men and women were treated, especially African Americans.

I found myself immersed in this story. I wondered when it would be enough for Death to release Nella from her bond. Or is there more to Death’s agreement that benefits him? Is he perhaps obsessed with Nella? I was also intrigued by how Nella reinvented herself as the decades passed, because she couldn’t be the same person forever. Luckily, she never had to worry about money, as it was held in an account under a number rather than a name. This intrigued me because that seems like a more current possibility than even 100 years ago.

This novel pulled me in and didn’t let go, and I was sad to see the story end. Life is messy, but who’s to say what life is worth saving?

We give this book 5 paws up.

About the Author

Brionni Nwosu is a joyful creative based in the musical city of Nashville, where she enjoys making memories with her husband and three children and crafting compelling stories to share with the world. An educator by training, Brionni has spent more than a decade supporting students and teaching teachers how to teach, all while shaping her stories on the side. A 2021 We Need Diverse Books mentee under Rajani LaRocca, Brionni writes bold, heartfelt fiction that explores connection, purpose, and what it means to live a life well.

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