#BlogTour-‘The Life Of Death’ by Lucy Booth

Hello! Welcome to my turn on the blogtour arranged by the fabulous Anne Cater of Random Things for ‘‘The Life Of Death’ by Lucy Booth  from publishing wave makers, Unbound, who posthumously published Lucy’s novel.

About the book…

One soul. One pact with the Devil. One chance at love.

Elizabeth Murray has been condemned to burn at the stake. As she awaits her fate, a strange, handsome man visits her cell. He offers her a deal: her soul in return for immortality, but what he offers is not a normal life. To survive Elizabeth must become Death itself.

Elizabeth must ease the passing of all those who die, appearing at the point of death and using her compassion to guide them over the threshold. She accepts and, for 500 years, whirls from one death to the next, never stopping to think of the life she never lived. Until one day, everything changes. She – Death – falls in love.

Desperate to escape the terms of her deal, she summons the man who saved her. He agrees to release her on one condition: that she gives him five lives. These five lives she must take herself, each one more difficult and painful than the last.

God I loved this book. It was made even more resonant and teary to read because of Lucy Booth’s backstory which imprints itself on every page. What a book, what a story and such resonance…it’s a modern take on the Faustian pact but that description diminishes the realness, the vitality of this story. Whereas Faust is a moral allegory about the human wish for eternal life-and its a lesson earned bloodily and evilly-‘The Life Of Death’ is life affirming, uplifting . Which, I must say, sounds odd to say about a book on death, dying and impossible decisions.

But it poses a moral dilemma-how far would you go for love? Would you kill for it? What would you forfeit? Who would you forfeit?

Lizzy has this choice to make, she can live for 500 years for nothing or give herself over to the choices of the Devil and take the 5 lives he chooses her to reap. The chance to really feel and connect with another human being as opposed to loitering at the exit of so many as Death, the Devil’s helper. She begins the book as a young woman being burnt alive for ‘witchcraft’, being offered the gift of existence at the moment of immolation by the Devil himself. Who amongst us would turn this down? Lizzy ends the book as….well, that would be telling….

About the author…

Lucy Booth was born in Suffolk, moved with her family to Solihull, Cyprus and Lymm, Cheshire where she attended Manchester High School for Girls before studying Behavioural Sciences at Nottingham University. On graduating Lucy moved to London to pursue her career as a freelance producer for various top of the range adverts & music videos.

In 2011 Lucy was diagnosed with breast cancer resulting in surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Undaunted, and with the great assistance of her friends, Lucy not only continued working and writing her blog (lucifersboob.blogspot.co.uk) of her ‘cancer experience’ in a typically forthright and humorous fashion but felt the urge to write a novel. ‘The Life of Death’ is the result.

In 2014 the aggressive cancer returned. However, Lucy was determined to live her life to the full and to finish her novel before she died in August 2016.

Lucy was funny and brave and an inspiration to all who knew and loved her; she never allowed her cancer to define her and remained upbeat and positive until her last days.

She is much missed by her parents, Jackie and Alan, and sister, Analie, her many friends, her godchildren and, of course, her cat Oliver.

Links-http://lucifersboob.blogspot.com/

Twitter @unbounders @annecater