“You have to be the friend people need while they are there with you, because it’s the only chance you’ll get.” – (The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip)

Sometimes the title of a book is enough to peak my interest. If you go back through some of the books I’ve read in the past year, you’ll find that a lot of the mysteries I’ve read had interesting titles. When I saw “The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip,” I truly believed this was going to be a murder mystery.

Even the synopsis made the think that there was some “mystery” to this story.

The Goodreads synopsis:

Aidyn Kelley is talented, ambitious, and ready for a more serious assignment than the fluff pieces she’s been getting as a cub reporter for the Kansas City Star. In her eagerness, she pushes too hard, earning herself the menial task of writing an obituary for an unremarkable woman who’s just entered hospice care. But there’s more to Clara Kip than meets the eye. The spirited septuagenarian may be dying, but she’s not quite ready to cash it in yet. Never one to shy away from an assignment herself, she can see that God brought the young reporter into her life for a reason. And if it’s a story Aidyn Kelley wants, that’s just what Mrs. Kip will give her—but she’s going to have to work for it.

Admittedly, the book was NOT what I expected. I gathered that from the first chapter or two. So how can I begin to tell you what it is about? This book is hard to describe, because I’ve not seen one quite like it before. Personally, I was pleasantly surprised. I felt that different is good in this case.

Before I go any further, I want to say that the book was Christian fiction. I was not aware of this when I began reading it. Not that it made a difference to me, as I am a Christian and was not offended in any way by the occasional quotes from Scripture, a character reading her Bible, or talk about God. It was a breath of fresh air to me.

That being said, I will be completely honest and warn that it may be a difficult read for someone who has recently lost a loved one. My mother passed from cancer in 2006, and there were things that happened in the book that took me back to those moments with her. It was a difficult book for me to read only because of that, but it was such an important part of the story.

While there are some incredibly sad parts in the book, they do not overshadow the wonderfully amazing happy and joyful parts. If I had to describe the book, I would say that it is unique, unusual, and extraordinary.

I was hooked from the very beginning. I listened to the audio version and it was one of those books that I may have to go and buy so I can have a physical copy. There were times that a character would say something and I wished I could highlight it to reread over and over. One reviewer said, “It’s the type of book that moves you to love more deeply and challenges you in your walk with God.” I would tend to agree.

At one point in the book, Mrs. Kip spots a leaf on a tree. She turns to the young reporter and says, “A leaf is a silent proverb. Did you ever consider that? When it buds on the tree, people rejoice. Throughout is prime, they love it for the shade it provides. But only when it reaches the end of its time on the tree does its brilliance come through. Sometimes yellow, sometimes orange, sometimes deep red. Dazzling in its artistry, like a drop of sunset you can see at all house of the day.” Clara (Mrs. Kip) smiled. “A leaf has the most extraordinary death. There is so much beauty to it.”

The above analogy really struck a chord with me. It was so very powerful. It was things like this that I could see myself highlighting and keeping.

I read some reviews of the books done by the blogging community and there were more than a few who said that they almost stopped reading the book for one reason or another. As they stuck with it, they were glad that they did and had high praise for the book. I was struck right from the get-go, even though it was not what I had expected the story to be.

5 out of 5 Stars from me.