It's always good to try something new every once in a while, and this was the first drama/contemporary fiction book I've read in a long while. The writing is mostly slow-paced, depicting the protagonist, Violette tending to her graveyard. It is this emphasis on day-to-day events that sets the tone for the novel, painting a (mostly) believable world and its people.

The book follows Violette in the present day, and at the same time gradually uncovers her past, together with the life of some other characters. Furthermore, through the burials and people who visit the graves, we get to see glimpses of the lives of many others, and how the dead impacted the lives of those around them. I probably don't fully understand the book. However, the way I see it the book centers mostly around passion, grief, and healing. Violette has experienced more sources of grief than most, but she is able to endure and eventually mostly heal. Through Violette's marriage, but also the many other relationships and affairs, we see how passion can seduce people. At times it can be everything, what makes life special, but at other times it can destroy people and families.

One interesting aspect the novel touches on is the lens the protagonist sees other people through. For the majority of the book, we can only see Violette's husband through her eyes, which paints him as a good-looking, narcissistic, misogynistic, unfaithful, piece of shit who thinks of nothing but himself and short-term gratification. However, when we get to see things from his perspective, we realize that he is at least a bit nuanced.

I enjoyed how the slow pace of the book paints the scenery and characters. Most of them feel real, in a very good way. There are also some more dramatic and page-turning parts of the book which contrast well with the slower majority. Although this is not the genre I am usually drawn to, I did enjoy this book and am happy I read it. I recommend it to people who like reading about the lives and fates of characters, with themes of romance and grief.