Thanatea — Sonja Delzongle

Embark on the longest journey of all: death

Quick Summary

Thanatea. A name that sounds like that of a woman or a goddess. A rather pleasant, exotic word, provided you don’t know its Greek root, thanatos, death. The longest of journeys. Eternity.

Anyone other than Esther would surely have been chilled, but during her years with the criminal investigation department, she rubbed shoulders with death in its darkest, most violent guises. It’s a daily life that has worn her down, to the point where she’s ready to leave everything behind to join this funeral home in the heart of Lake Geneva. And even if this new environment promises to be somewhat macabre, at least she won’t have to see the stigmata of murder on flesh, organs and bones. There, death will be a concept, marketing, worked on, thought out, wrapped in velvet or satin. There, Esther hopes to finally find peace…

My Thoughts

This is my first book by this author, and I was pleasantly surprised by her writing.

The first part of the book was certainly the most interesting for me. The author manages to introduce her characters and the context of the book perfectly, without it being boring. Even better, it’s intriguing and leaves us wanting to know more. Although I didn’t necessarily find her characters very realistic, they are described in depth and with a certain humanity that makes them particularly endearing. In this part of the story, she also takes a delicate look at social issues that are not always politically correct.

There’s an initial punchline, and then the second part kicks in. I found it a little less interesting and a little less profound. However, this is a symptom common to a lot of my reading: as soon as I know a little too much, it’s hard to keep my interest. Still, this part reads very well. There’s a sequence of events and twists, and each chapter ends with a revelation. It’s a very dynamic style, you either like it or you don’t, but I found it really enjoyable and it was hard to close the book despite the lack of depth.

The ending is a little strange, but a success all the same. In short, this book reads very well and has many qualities. I like the fact that we often think we know what’s going to happen, but in fact we don’t, because the author sows false clues, as if she’s playing with us.

To Read or Not to Read

I recommend this book, which is very good and will introduce you to a little-known but very talented author.

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