Author: Jennifer Quist
Title: Love Letters of the Angels of Death
Publisher: Linda Leith Publishing
Publication date: 2013
(Reviewed by Markham Tanner, Sept. 21, 2018)
My mind, heart, and soul still haven’t settled from finishing this gorgeous novel.
All summer long people asked me which has been my favorite read; I didn’t have an answer. Generally, I would revert to buzzing about Educated, because I thoroughly enjoy discussing it—probably even more than I enjoyed reading it. Without a doubt, I now have a real answer to give them.
As I leisurely strolled through this novel I wondered, “Why do I love this so much?” It’s difficult to describe, but I feel that Quist gave me an ephemeral touch of deep, mature love. I cared immensely for the characters, the point of view fascinated me, the prose struck resonant chords in my heart, and I wondered if I would ever have a love such as theirs.
At first, I thought the series of vignettes would be exclusively focused on death—the true final frontier. And of course, with a title such as Love Letters of the Angels of Death, death played a vital role in the lives of this couple. But as the story ripened, I realized that death was just a backdrop for the true star of the story: a beautiful and fulfilling marriage relationship.