The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip. Sara Brunsvold. 2022. 361 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: Clara Kip had prayed repeatedly to die in Sao Paulo. It truly seemed the smallest of requests. People died in Brazil every day. What was one more? Especially one who had dreamed of the country most of her life. The Lord, however, gave her Kansas.
Premise/plot: Mrs. Kip (Clara Kip) is dying make no mistake about it. This contemporary Christian read opens with our main character entering hospice care and checking into a nursing facility. But in her few week(s) left, she's going to continue to impact the world. She's still got love left to give until her very final breath.
Aidyn Kelley is a newbie reporter who is looking for her "big break." Having won an award for her writing in college she feels entitled to be a big shot in the newsroom. But. That's not how life works. Still, her boss (not the BIG boss) is giving her an assignment. To the outside world and even to Aidyn herself this assignment feels like punishment. Write an obituary for an old woman????? Really???? That's the big break???? Aidyn is told to go and visit Mrs. Kip, to get to know her...
The two slowly but surely come to an arrangement. Aidyn tells an inventive, creative "extraordinary" death story and Mrs. Kip will in return answer three questions truthfully. After a very bumpy introduction, these two soon become good friends....
Readers learn--even before Aidyn--how EXTRAORDINARY Mrs. Kip's life actually is/was.
My thoughts: I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. Without a doubt my most favorite of all time contemporary read in Christian Fiction. I love how UNapologetic it is. Mrs. Kip is a LOVING, kind, WISE woman of God. All of life's hardships and sorrows, all her losses, all her unanswered prayers, etc. have taught her that the JOY OF THE LORD IS HER STRENGTH. I love how her story unfolds. I love the flashbacks. But most of all I love the present-day-scenes. I love her witness. I love her testimony. I loved every moment of this one. It was BEAUTIFUL. It was PRECIOUS.
Could it perhaps trigger some readers????? Perhaps. Mrs. Kip is dying of CANCER. And it's hard not to have a personal story, a personal connection. Readers may be reminded of their own [painful] losses. But this one is SO beautiful. Even if you have to read through tears, I think the story is a thousand times worth it.
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