A novel to make you cry

Death Actually — Rosy Fenwicke (Wonderful World, $30.00) reviewed by Louise Ward, Wardini Books

Maggie is a 40-something Queenstown mother of two adult children, the product of a spectacularly brief and youthful liaison with an Aussie beach volleyballer. She is also an undertaker (she prefers the term funeral director), has close, loving friendships but no bloke, due to the impact of the aforementioned beach boy.

Maggie is the conduit through which we learn the local gossip, trials and tribulations — and there is a great deal of it. The main and peripheral characters in this book are vibrantly written — they are likeable, irritating, relatable and recognisable in any small-town environment. They include a depressed, morbidly obese former golden girl of NZ sport, a handsome and very rich doctor, a grumpy German chef, a spoilt American movie star and a glamorous estate agent. This diverse bunch of people weave in and out of Maggie’s story, creating a rich, funny and suitably lifelike comedy of errors.

One of the things I really like about this book, apart from the cast of characters, is that there is so much going on. The reader feels part of the town, the happenings and the scandals. Maggie is, of course, surrounded by death in her line of work but there is real pathos when it comes calling a little closer to home. There are also themes of family love, friendship and the way in which your steady, boring life can have the rug pulled from under it at any time. There is high drama, eye-rolling ‘look at what life has thrown at me now’ moments and plot twists that offer hope and redemption.