The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter, Brionni Nwosu (Review by Melissa Frye)

“The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter” by Brionni Nwosu, a magical realism novel with elements of historical fiction & romance, tells the tale of a young woman who has navigated the horrid trenches of slavery, eventually facing Death. When Death approaches, he is staggered by her undying hope and promise and allows her to prove to him that humanity is worth saving for the exchange of immortality. The novel proceeds to share Nella’s journey through time, across different time periods, as she faces new experiences and people.

While on the surface this seems to be a mostly done before plot, the sheer grace and grit of this character has left a mark on me. As expected, as one travels across time, she experienced so much joy in her relationships but also so much pain. The way in which the author pens this really makes the reader feel like you are right there with her feeling all the things. I was also astounded by the way in which Nwosu personifies Death as he reads Nella’s accounts specific to kindness and creativity and how he slowly considers that there are redeeming qualities in mankind.

While I very much enjoyed this book, I did feel it got a bit repetitive and so I would be remiss if I didn’t admit to skipping around a bit toward the end. It is still very much a worthwhile read that I would recommend to anyone even if this is not your typical go-to genre. This is Nwosu’s first novel and it is very evident to me she was made to write this book as the words clearly poured from her soul. It really makes you contemplate the polarizing dynamics of life while balancing love and loss and why at the end of it all, it really is a beautiful thing.