I picked this up after watching The Phantom Carriage. It's the novel the movie is based on. The book was actually written to teach people about tuberculosis. What a way to do it!
A man is attacked on New Year's Eve. And since he was the last one to die, he is now doomed to drive Death's cart for the next year. David has not been a great human being, so no one is going to mourn him. Except Sister Edith. Even though David has treated her horribly and is responsible for her illness, she fights for him endlessly. The previous driver is an old friend of David's, and he takes him around to "show him the ropes." In doing so, he sees a few different ways his life has impacted other people. People he should care about. But he's a stubborn man, even when faced with the unavoidable. Will he accept his fate?
I found it terrifying to think time would slow down to a rate that the driver of the cart would get to the next person. A year could feel like a century. I liked George, the driver, and the way he dealt with not only David, but the people he interacted with.
I really liked this book. The copy I had on my Kindle was pretty messed up, but I was able to read it okay. It's not a super long book, and I really liked the progression of the character. It reminds me of A Christmas Carol, but this one is different. The Dickens tale has been used and redone so many times, and I feel like it's lost a lot of its meaning. This tale was new to me, and I enjoyed it. The end was really good as well, and I like how it had its own "God bless us everyone." In my opinion, this one is a bit better. "O God! Vouchsafe that my soul may come to maturity ere it be reaped!" Good Book!
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