The Amazing Life and Loves of Nelly Carter

1784, Savannah – A young slave named Nella Carter is dying of typhoid fever in a hut in the middle of a Georgia plantation. Death, ruthless and disgusted with humanity, comes to collect her. But Nella is different. For one thing, unlike others, she can see Death. For another, even in the midst of despair and horror, she is full of optimism and faith in good. This intrigues the jaded harbinger of death, and he persuades Nella to make a Faustian bargain – he will offer her immortality in exchange for her proving him wrong about people.

As is often the case with tempting offers, the price is high: not only must Nella remain silent about the deal, but she must also be able to hold Death’s attention with good news. At stake is not only her life, but the existence of the entire human race.

So Nella travels constantly, moving from place to place, enjoying life, meeting interesting people, experiencing love, and writing articles about the beauty she encounters on her journey through the world and through time. But will she ever manage to complete her task? Will her optimism and zest for life endure even after great personal losses? Death is watching everything, waiting for her to finally give up.

In the present day, Nella is almost at the end of her strength when she meets Sebastian Moore, a charming history professor with whom she feels an instant connection. And although Nella has found many great love stories in the past, could she be living the greatest one of all right now?

This debut novel by the American author invites readers on an incredible journey across the world and through time alongside a heroine who is living proof that love is stronger than death and that life is worth living, even when it sometimes hurts.

Translated by Veronika Lásková