Facing death can present Christians with difficulties. It is an inevitability, as it is for everyone, accompanied by grief, pain and loss. But if we have certainty of where we are going then it is also encased with hope and promise.
This novel faces the issue of death head on, with the opening chapters describing our Mrs Kip settling in to face her final days in a hospice.
Her deep compassion, forged from a life of experiences, good and bad, leads her to help others who are facing death. She has faced many deaths, many of them painful and inexplicably unfair, each one asking questions that have few answers.
Her strong faith now carries her through, her life experiences leading her to a place where she only has one objective … to be salt and light to the people she meets. For her death to be a conduit to bring life for others.
She is a charming, endearing character, making it a pleasure for the reader to share in the revealing of her life story – one that intertwines with that of a young journalist, who needs a good story to fuel her career break, but who also needs to see God’s love in action in extraordinary ways.
It is well written, so in parallel we see the present, how lives interact, as well as glimpses of the backstory that build a wide frame around the current picture. And we witness the lovely relationship develop between the young and old women. How Clara Kip’s deep faith transcends and transforms the young journalist, forming a strong bond between them.
What is clear is the challenge of facing death with dignity, to have a good end… or even better than that, one that through it brings life and hope. Life from death, which after all is the Gospel message. If there ever is such a thing as a good death, then this book gives plenty of clues as to what it may look like.
The book exposes the tragedy of death, that robs the world of such riches and wisdom and beauty and love. But it also shows how precious and intimate those last few moments of life can be. Whatever you may believe about what happens after death, it can be done well.
The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs Kip, by Sara Brunsvold, is available here.
