Let’s Play Dead by Senaa Ahmad, 2020
The magic trick:
A fun premise paired with master-class writing
I wouldn’t argue strongly with you if you felt a little put off by the premise here. This is the story of Anne Boleyn if the original execution didn’t take. Here, Anne reattaches her head to her injured neck. And we go from there.
So, yeah, if that’s a little too cute to you, I understand.
Here’s the thing, though. The writing here is rollickingly good. Like really, really outstanding. Masterfully constructed sentences. Pristine word choice.
It’s a rich dessert to enjoy.
So just enjoy it.
And that’s quite a trick on Ahmad’s part.
The selection:
We don’t need to stick around while her body crawls its way to her head and fits itself back together. Every excruciating inch of the stone floor is a personal coup, and every inch lasts the whole span of human history. It is slow. It is clumsy. The head falls off a couple of times. The body is floppy with atrophy. There is a lot of blood. She probably, definitely cries. It does not befit a queen.
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