My Life Until Death by Robynn Penelope Mussell

My Life Until Death is a strangely wonderful story, although it's not without its flaws. First, it could definitely benefit from the guiding touch of an editor, both to tighten up the prose and to provide a bit more flow to the overall structure. Second, even for a fictional autobiography, it does strays a bit too far into fantasy, particularly with the accidental surgery and multiple pregnancies.

Having said all that, there's a passion and an honesty to the story that can only come from someone who has lived the struggle, and that resonated with me. You can feel Robynn Penelope Mussell's pain in its pages, just as you can share her longing to be loved, and her desire to hold on until the very end. There's a wistful sort of wish-fulfillment to the entire story, and even if it does stray too far into fantasy, it's hard to deny that, at some time, we haven't shared those very same fantasies.

Reviewed by Sally