Love and Death are inexorably intertwined. Love seeks to fulfill life; Death seeks to end it. In The Game of Love and Death, Love and Death take an active role in this eternal struggle, each selecting a player at birth and then competing to see if the players fall in love or if they die. It is a hard-fought game filled with subterfuge, manipulation and deep passion, and in the centuries that they have played, Love has never won.
Flora Saudade and Henry Bishop are about as different as two people can be. And in Seattle in 1937, they should have no reason to meet, let alone spend time together. But Henry, the white adopted son of a wealthy newspaper magnate, and Flora, a black airplane mechanic and owner of a jazz club, not only meet but fall in love. Against all odds, it looks as if Love might win the game for the first time. However, Death is not so easily defeated.
The Game of Love and Death is a unique and deeply moving novel. Beautiful language, original characters and a haunting story draw the reader into a relationship that is forbidden both by the era and by the master of the game. It’s heartbreaking to the end.
This article was originally published in the May 2015 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
