Review
Tethered is the first book in recent memory that I
absolutely could not read fast enough to see how it comes
out. The book is deceptive. Is it a mystery? Is it a
literary novel? At first it seems to be a rather
interesting, if uncomplicated, story about a young woman,
Clara Marsh, who works in a funeral home as an undertaker;
assistant to the funeral director, Linus Bartholomew. She's
had a rather difficult life – orphaned at an early age then
raised by an overly strict Bible-thumping grandmother – thus
she is pretty much a loner. So when she encounters a little
girl called Trecie in one of the mourning rooms I was
expecting a story about how Clara begins to relate to the
youngster and eventually overcomes her inability to connect
with others. Boy was I...
Beyond the Book
Post-Life Environmentalism
Clara has such a detached attitude toward the more clinical
aspects of her job as undertaker – removing organs, sewing
the mouth shut, applying makeup – that her description of
these tasks seems no different than a fishmonger discussing
the gutting and filleting of salmon. And MacKinnon includes
enough subtle hints as to the danger and toxicity of the
chemicals used in cadaver preparation that one might pause
before considering disposition of one's – or a loved one's
-- earthly remains. Additionally, there is the casket to
think about and the fact that there may be more bodies to
bury in Clara's community cemetery than that plot of
hallowed ground can...
