The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond
This historical novel of suspense provides an ideal introduction to Sacramento, California, in 1885, with the raw bustle of new American businesses, abundant scams in spiritualism, and passionate efforts to gain rights for women. And what could be better than to march into this creative fervor with beautiful 17-year-old twin sisters Edie and Violet Bond, who use the tricks of the carnival to protect their very real and painful knowledge of what happens after death.
They were trained as spiritual mediums by their mother, whose abrupt death plunged them into horrible danger: Their furious and malevolent father immediately threatened to commit the sisters to a brutal asylum where they could expect far worse than simple physical abuse. So, when their act “The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond” opens, the young women have run away to tour with a traveling show, trying to hide their identities. Surely, they should not be performing so close to the asylum itself, let alone within reach of their dreadful father.
What ability do they have to pierce the veil? Are there spirits who may be able to assist them or protect them? Desperate clients seeking their dead loves and a pesky investigative reporter continue to knock them off balance—until only reaching out honestly to the women in their circle of mediums offers any hope of saving their lives and freedom.
Glaze’s top-notch work of risk and courage proves once again that an author’s debut can present extraordinary narrative and insight; the book should be great for reading groups and older YA readers, although younger teens might find the level of gendered threat overwhelming and haunting.
