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Beatrix “Trixie” D’Vita lives a semi-regular life in an unusual world. She is a waitress at a bar where the patrons are an eclectic bunch of ghouls, goblins, and the undead. Her lack of a love life is merely one problem. The other is her strained relationship with her mother. Her mother wants her to go into the family business involving the harvesting of souls. The idea of being Death’s apprentice is unpalatable to Trixie. Yet, she is protective of her mother, so when the Angel Investigative Bureau inquires about her mother’s whereabouts, Trixie remains mum. There is a game show involving the futures of the recently departed, and Trixie doesn’t give it a second thought until her best friend dies and is set to be on the show. Trixie will stop at nothing to save her friend from damnation.
The dynamic of the mother-daughter relationship is explored in a complex way in this excellent story. Trixie is a young woman who yearns for more in relationships and in life. Her rejection of her mother’s profession is a rejection of her mother, as she believes her mother abandoned her as a child. The rift in their relationship has lasted decades. Trixie distinguishes herself as a character with loyalty and courage when she dives into hell to save her best friend. Her mother, Death, while not being a paragon of virtue nor a perfect parent, desires Trixie to succeed in life. When learning of Trixie’s actions, Death shows her true colors as a mother. The concept of eternal destiny is conveyed with equal parts humor, heart, and fear.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review