Eternal Life

Eternal Life by Dara Horn                    Audio Book:  8 hours, 54 minutes      Hardback Book: 256 pages                          

I’ve been reading a lot of stories lately about people who become different people everyday, now in this story, the main characters are under a curse and because of their transgressions to save their son they must sacrifice their deaths instead of their lives.    An interesting story, very well written of two people who lived over 2,000 years ago and who are still living 2,000 years later.   Interesting historical references and tie-ins, a surprising number of births in family after family as they continue on and have to adopt new identities to explain their still living while their partners and children all age normally (they aren’t part of the curse) and die.     Sometimes these star-crossed lovers share a life together but not always and not often despite their unique intertwined histories.   Good story development, lots of research went into this one as Ms. Horn talks like a scholar throughout the historical periods, the lifestyles, the Judeo religion, customs, beliefs, practices both in the services in the synagogue and those observed in the home.   Realistic and knowledgeable.   Intriguing like following the story of a vampire having to make up new lives with every century.   She discusses the sorrow of leaving your family behind to avoid questions,   she describes realistically noting all the senses, the feeling of being burned alive then coming back from it, being shot and coming back from it and a very touching scene when she sees one of her children being pushed in a wheelchair at an airport because he is so old, he can no longer walk unaided.    She pours out the tearful reunion and while he was likely suffering dementia, he recognized her and got tears in his eyes as she kissed him and told him how much she loved him.   There are times your emotions will be taken right along with her as she carries on living while those around her die in the plaque – her neighbors thought she was a witch because she came through it completely unscathed.     A good story up to the present day when her granddaughter is working in the field of genetics and wants a sample of her DNA because while Rachel happens to be 84 according to her falsified passport and i.d. papers, turns out she has the skin and DNA (Stolen samples –that rascally granddaughter!) of an 18 year old –which just so happens to be the age when the curse was placed on her.     A well thought out story.   I enjoyed this one a lot.