'The God of Endings' is a heartbreaking exploration of the human condition
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Loading... - Luna Rojas
- 10 Mar 2023
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Early March might seem like too early in the year to state "This is one of the best novels of 2023," but when it comes to Jacqueline Holland's The God of Endings, I'm willing to make that statement. Heartbreaking, gorgeously written even if its darkest passages, and truly epic in terms of breadth and scope, The God of Endings chronicles almost two centuries of one woman's journey while also exploring the beauty of brevity, the power of love, and the importance of art.
The year is 1984 and Collette LeSange is a wonderful teacher who owns a special school where children are encouraged to pursue art and learn French. Collette is smart, great with the kids, young, and attractive. She's also immortal and feeds on blood, two secrets she must protect at all costs. In 1834, Collette — named Anna back then — and her father and brother fell ill during a pandemic. When her grandfather finally arrived to take her away and take care of her after her entire family's death, it was too late and Collette eventually succumbed to the disease.
However, after her death her grandfather brought her back to life and made her immortal before sending her across the ocean to keep her safe. Since then, Collette's life has been a long journey full of death, heartache, hunger, hiding, and persecution. Now, almost 150 years later, Collette runs her elite fine art school for children in upstate New York and keeps her hunger at bay by feeding on her cats. It's a calm life, and despite Collette's constant fear and painful memories, it's as good as it's ever been. Unfortunately, that calm shatters when one of Collette's students, a gifted, sickly boy, starts revealing information from his troubled, abusive home. Also, Collette's hunger is growing, becoming a constant, almost uncontrollable craving. To make matters worse, an old, dark god is haunting Collette, threatening to destroy everything she's built, and her vivid nightmares and bizarre events all proclaim the arrival of something incredibly dark and destructive that's haunted Collette before. Read More..
