A fictional biography of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, with magical realist overtones. The underlying relationship is that between Frida and her "godmother" Death, and this lends a fantastic touch to the text.

I've been a fan of Kahlo for years, ever since I saw a film about her, so I knew the bare bones of her biography. I haven't read any fiction about her before though, and this book is highly imaginative, well worth a read.

The writing's vivid and sensual, punctuated by Mexican recipes. Granted, many of them aren't for me (there's a bit too much pork and chicken for this vegetarian stomach) but some of the others - for instance the Pico de Gallo and the orange shortbread - I'll definitely be trying.