My Review of "This Too Shall Pass"

Milena Busquets' This Too Shall Pass is a genre-bending, thrilling summer read. Sex and death, past and present, philosophy and farce -- they're all here, in stunning array.

This Too Shall Pass introduces us to Blanca, our narrator, attending her mother's funeral. Soon after, Blanca decides to spend a summer week at her mother's seaside house, where she juggles lovers old and new, two female friends, her own two sons and sundry acquaintances. Not much happens: Dinners get cooked, boats are sailed, quarrels flare, sex sizzles and disappoints.

The real action lies in Blanca's recollections of her mother's mostly happy life and painful last months suffering from Parkinson's disease. It's here that the novel really captures a reader's attention for a page-turner.

In the midst of her grief, Blanca turns to sex. But in the end, This Too Shall Pass finds Blanca uttering a truth: "Only true love can end pain".

This Too Shall Pass is a thinking person's summer novel.

I received a free copy of this book as part of the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review here.

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