When death claims you, it seeks to cleave your essence from the mortal plane and cast it into the infinite other. Without an anchor, all that is you should dissipate. The cold you feel is the pull of the multiverse on your soul and when chaos finally claims you, there will be utterly nothing left.
Siduri, grappling with her mother Iresh’s death, uncovers a sealed letter addressed to her estranged Aunt Eanna, who resides in a conservative area called Sulis. Although the location seems unappealing to a woman previously described by Iresh as somewhat wild, Siduri’s difficult situation prompts her to embark on a journey to find her aunt. As she travels via train, we gain insight into her sheltered worldview, marked by her recent discovery of her long lost father’s notorious past as a thieving governor. On the train, Siduri faces judgment for her unconventional appearance (a lapis lazuli-colored streak in her hair) before a train accident plunges her into peril. Fellow passengers are dying all around her, and as water begins to flood her cabin, a woman with strange eyes saves her and asks if she has the amulet. Siduri realizes the stranger is referring to her mother’s locket and confirms that she has it as they make their escape.
Once outside, something stabs into Siduri’s back. With rain pattering her skin, her newfound companion draws a shape in her flesh with a makeshift knife made of a shard of glass. Then, she buries it into Siduri’s heart. Awakening in a cold, dream-like space that is soon revealed to be the attic of her childhood home, Siduri meets Dumuz, who informs her that she is dead and introduces her to Lilith, the strange companion responsible for killing her/saving her life (afterlife?). As tensions rise with the approach of ominous religious figures known as the Fedhyow, Siduri must navigate her newfound reality as a ghost and the implications of her mysterious witchy heritage. That might be easier if a ghostly figure, Stephen Izdubar, her long lost father, hadn’t appeared before her and mouthed two words: “save me.”
Morality, it would seem, is nothing but a concept of the moment.
The story that unfolds from there is one I’ll leave other readers to uncover for themselves, but I will say that this was one of my favorite reads of 2024. What a deliciously twisty, turny, and unexpected story! Lilith’s quips never missed a beat, and Siduri’s initial skepticism allowed us readers to truly embark on a story of discovery with her as she discovers that the boundaries between life and death are disturbingly thin. I recommend JJ Vason’s book for its nuanced characters, unexpected twists, and richly developed world.
Read if you love: Supernatural Fiction, Urban Fiction, British Literature