This was a light, enjoyable read, but I like de Lint's later book on a very similar subject, The Mystery of Grace, a lot better. ( )

Jilly finally overcomes her difficult and self-destructive childhood, when she is invited by her dead friend to a new "city" of mostly dead people. She has to try to get home.

de Lint sends us on a flashback to Jilly's early years of recovery. She dips into s land of the dead and hooks up with her friends - future protagonists of Newford stories. ( )

well imagined visit to the inbetween of the afterlife - who goes there? why ? where next? who’s there? what goes on? how long ?

those are the questions the wonderer this side has.

and this story explores the unknowable territory in a way that the wondering reader can immerse themself without being trite or cliche or going all-zombie ;)

( )

Jilly, one of the most popular and enduring characters is the centerpiece of this novella. The narrative is split between a typical urban fantasy plotline, and flashbacks to Jilly's struggle to reclaim her life from the difficulties of her past.

Unfortunately, the curtailed length of the novella prevents either of these storylines from ever reaching full potential. The flashbacks felt like connecting the dots, filling in the last remaining gaps in our knowledge of Jilly's life between her childhood and her fully formed adult persona. There isn't much of an arc for her here, or rather, the arc we get is too big to be supported by the short scenes that present it.

The other plotline was stronger, and is quintessential Charles de Lint. Unfortunately, most of the atmosphere he created was squandered at the end by a consequence-free, deus ex machina ending.

I would not recommend that a new reader start Charles de Lint here. But I enjoyed it as one last chance to visit a favorite character, which is always welcome. ( )