The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sara Brunsvold
In my last post, I shared my five-star reads from 2023 and concluded with choosing The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sara Brunsvold as my favorite book of 2023.
In today's post, I'd like to share the reasons why I loved that book most of all.
Let me start by giving you an idea about the story.
First, I would classify this story as Contemporary Women's Fiction.
The main characters are Clara Kip, an elderly woman who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and is given only a short time left to live and Aidyn Kelley, a young newspaper reporter who seeks more job responsibility but ends up being tasked with writing an obituary for Mrs. Kip instead.
From page one, the faith element in this story is strong, unashamed, and bold. Mrs. Kip might be dying, but she's not done ministering to those whom God places in her path. Aidyn becomes one of those people who is changed just by getting to know Mrs. Kip.
Throughout the story we're also given flashback glimpses into Mrs. Kip's history, her past struggles, and how she learned to trust God despite life's difficulties. And Aidyn's developing relationship with Mrs. Kip shows her how important having a strong faith is as well.
I wish I had read this book with a highlighter or book tabs in hand, but I evidently did grab a some book darts at one point and do have a few Mrs. Kip quotes marked that I'll share with you now.
Mrs. Kip talking to Aidyn, pages 140-141:
"Our God is the God of new life. Carve that in a stone somewhere, because it is the gospel truth..."
Also on page 141:
"The grave is not my final home. I want to live as if I believe that."
On page 212, Mrs. Kip speaking to Aidyn:
I'm not sure, but I think perhaps this line helped inspire the book's title. Maybe someday I'll get to ask the author and find out if I'm correct. (ETA: After publishing this post, I recalled that there’s something nearer the book’s end which is what the title actually comes from, but this quote is still related to the title, just a little less directly.)
Then on page 230 I marked the following prayer by Mrs. Kip:
"God, be her way. Jesus be her words. Spirit, be her protection.
Three promises Scripture gives every believer to call upon in times of need."This is just a sampling of the real Christian faith Mrs. Kip exemplifies throughout this beautiful story.
I love that Mrs. Kip can be a little stubborn, sometimes sassy, and quite a bit quirky too. But she's also a veritable fountain of God's peace, joy, comfort, and love to others. This is a story that I believe is an example of excellent Christian Fiction, so it may be no surpise for you to learn that this book also won a Christy Award in 2023--it tied with another book in the First Novel category. Winning a Christy Award is a high honor for Christian Fiction authors.
As you can probably tell, I highly recommend The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip, and yes, I will be adding a copy of this book to the adult fiction section of my church library so others in my congregation may be blessed by this faith-filled story.
I'm currently reading Sara Brunsvold's second novel The Divine Proverb of Streusel which just released this month. I plan to post my review of that book on the blog soon after I finish reading it.
One final thought...if you have also read and enjoyed this book, be sure to leave a review on Goodreads as well as your favorite retailers. I've learned these past few years how important leaving reviews is. So be sure to give a star rating and write a review--even just a few quick sentences that tell why you enjoyed the book. It's such an easy way to support your favorite books' authors, and it truly helps so much.
Happy reading!
Stephanie
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