Sara Sidorova waits in that liminal space between life and death, her mind wandering. As she waits to die, she meets Amba, a tiger god destined to eat creation itself if he gets out of his chains. Despite his dangerous nature, Amba gives Sara the gift to see the future. In the future, her granddaughter Irenda has to navigate an overwhelming fascist government in a very Eastern European feeling setting. A horrible attack leaves Irenda orphaned, and she finds her way to Hrana City to her grandmother. Her grandmother promises to teach her how to tame death itself. Irenda ends up working for a local circus, working with caged beasts and plotting her attempt at revenge for herself and her family against those who robbed her of them.
The Lady, The Tiger, and The Girl Who Loved Death is a series of beautiful gut punches that leaves you wondering if you really enjoyed the book or you just really like the masochistic nature of the story. While Helen Marshall is a born storyteller, I will advise this book is not for everyone nor should it be. The biggest caution I give you with this book is that you should not attempt it if you’re not in the mood for a book that doubles back and switches perspectives regularly. If you’re not in a place to fully focus, you’re going to be confused. If you put this book down for too long, you’re going to be confused. While the cyclical nature of the book is thematically appropriate, it can be frustrating.
The Lady, the Tiger, and the Girl Who Loved Death is now available from Titan Books.
