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A superbly crafted tale that is unforgettable. The pace is relentless, the setting haunting, the main character, Jacob Hansen, is fully realized, and the prose is wonderful—descriptive, powerful, simply yet poetic, just wonderful. O’Nan takes you into the heart, mind, and soul of Hansen as he deals with a diphtheria plague sweeping a post-Civil War small town. Unlike others in town, Hansen, as the sheriff, undertaker, and pastor, must confront the horrors around him and cope with the possibility that he may have infected his wife and daughter after undertaking the initial diphtheria cases. I cannot recommend this book more. No matter what books you like this book is for you.
