This Time of Dying by Reina James

This Time of Dying

Reina James

This could have been a grim and unrelenting tale of how the lives of a dozen people were affected by the influenza epidemic of 1919 - and it is - but it is so much more! These people come to life on the page - I became engrossed and immersed in their ordinary lives - now I need to know what happened next.

Extract
When the others had gone home, Nora wrapped herself in a blanket and took up her position by the bed. During the night, the tip of Samuel's nose turned purple, then his face, the scar-lines accentuated by the darkness of his skin. He died while she was running to the doctor.
Parallels
  • Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
  • The Great Influenza by John M Barry