i did enjoy this book, it's a light read despite its rather heavy themes i finished it mostly in one day. It approaches the theme of death in an interesting way and personifies her (and the other entities mentioned) in a unique way which is great considering how done to death (ironically) personifying death is. 

 the other things it approaches are in my opinion done so in a boring way and very same note. Jack the ripper was a black woman, but the implications of that aren't explored it's just kind of out there like a "bet you didn't think this was an option". There's interesting stuff to be done with that concept but just throwing it into this book when it doesn't compliment the central themes is a weird choice. there's lots if moments like this.

That's not to say the book handles sexism or racism poorly or in a juvenile way. I know the author is an essayist and that definitely comes across in the way she talks about those themes in this book. There's long sections of prose that are very interesting to read and approach these issues from a clearly educated point of view. I would love to read the author write more about this I just think the particular way she writes about them in this book would be more at home in an essay than in a narrative book. 

That's true for a lot of this book which is disappointing because the narrative is interesting. The narrator, Wolf, is unreliable and incredibly relatable. Their interactions with Mrs Death and struggles around that are wonderfully written and presented in such a way that is open to interpretation but not indecipherable which some books that strive for this vibe fall into .

I struggled to get into this book because so much of the opening is long sections lamenting death. the later sections are much more readable and emotional because they feel earned, once you know Wolf and Mrs Death they make sense coming from their characters.

The other thing is the poems. The early ones are boring and nothing special but the last section is entirely poetry and it's amazing. Then the book just ends. A little anticlimactic and honestly i wish we'd seen more of Life and maybe more with her and Wolf but whatever. This sounds very complainy but I do recommend this book, if you want a light read and interesting perspective on life death and the intersection of misogyny and racism this is a must read