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An interesting premise, leading to an engaging plot, which is chock-full of well-drawn characters.
It all begins with a seventy-ish lady, with nice silver hair, neatly dressed and not at all flashy. The kind of woman you might not notice. On this day, on a simple flight from Hobart, Australia to Sydney, the “Death Lady”, as she will come to be known, suddenly and somewhat harshly, audibly predicts the date and manner of death of a number of passengers on the flight.
The result, as you would expect, is chaotic. The book pivots at this point, leading us deeper into the life, loves, and motivations of “Cherry” herself (our mysterious fortune teller) – providing the backstory to help the reader understand how these terrible and traumatic happenings could be foreseen.
As expected, the story also follows the lives of several of the affected passengers, – their coping and the aftermath of the horrific predictions.
This is a story a reader will find hard to put down. The premise, fascinating as it is, is both hair-raising and intriguing, raises all sorts of questions, including:
Will these passengers die, as was predicted, or can their “fate” be avoided?
How would it change your life if you knew the date of your death – would you live each day more mindfully, more gratefully?
And, of course:
How will the author extricate herself from the bleak realities of a plot laden with so many upcoming deaths?
Without giving the plot away (no spoilers here), you will need to read the book to learn more. This reader, for one, found the ending (for each of the characters) clever enough to be satisfying.
A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.