Maggie’s brother dies on the operating table while the doctors are transferring one of his kidneys to her. She vows to do something worthwile with her life to make up for his sacrifice. But what can she do when Death itself is literally her constant companion?
While I didn’t care much for the story itself with its clichéd ending, the portrayal of Maggie’s (imaginary?) friend, Death, was wonderful. Kaftan avoids the common pitfalls of portraying Death as either too gloomful or whimsical. Instead we get a character that is both funny and deeply disturbing.
(Lone Star Stories, June 2008)
