The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip

by Sara Brunsvold

Overview

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.

Debut author Sara Brunsvold delights with this emotional multigenerational story that shows that the very best life is made up of thousands of little deaths to self. You'll want to be just like Mrs. Kip when you grow up!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798891640245
Publisher:	Christian Series Level I (24)
Publication date:	02/01/2024
Edition description:	Large Print
Pages:	500
Product dimensions:	5.75(w) x 8.75(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Sara Brunsvold creates stories that speak hope, truth, and life. Influenced by humble women of God who find his fingerprints in the everyday, she does the same in her life and her storytelling. Sara's recognitions include the 2020 ACFW Genesis Award for Contemporary Fiction. She lives with her family in Kansas City, Missouri, where she can often be spotted writing at a park or library. Learn more at www.sarabrunsvold.com.

Editorial Reviews

04/25/2022

A terminally ill septuagenarian teaches a young journalist the importance of loving God and community in Brunsvold’s uplifting debut. Aidyn Kelley, tired of covering small local stories at the Kansas City Star, goes behind her editor’s back to ask her managing editor for a feature. Aidyn’s editor finds out and punishes her by making her write an obituary for Clara Kip, a cheerful 79-year-old widow dying of cancer in a nearby hospice facility. Aidyn’s first interviews with Clara are perfunctory and awkward, but Clara agrees to open up about her life on one condition: Aidyn must invent “extraordinary deaths” for Clara. As Aidyn weaves glorious tales of imaginary deaths (“attacked by a ridiculously large shark,” “rappelling off a skyscraper to save her family from a mad-man”), she discovers that Clara helped resettle Laotian refugees in Kansas City after the Vietnam War and realizes the story has the makings of a feature. Clara, for her part, determines to show Aidyn the transformative power of Christianity and that “the grave is not my final home.” Clara’s vivaciousness in the face of death makes her a captivating protagonist, and readers will appreciate her poignant reflections on faith and renewal: “God is the God of new life.” Inspirational fans will want to snap this up. (July)

Publishers Weekly