“But…she was dead,” Julia whispered.
~ Unfixed by Amy L. Sauder
“You’ll find that’s not as uncommon as you think.”
It starts as early as the Unfixed Prologue, the claim that Julia has died twice. And it doesn’t stop there. I wrote on the blog about character death quite awhile ago (and Veronica Roth’s take on it!), and yes, it’s still quite common in my stories.
But resurrection is, too. I guess I watched too much Vampire Diaries, where a character dying didn’t mean the end of the story. But it’s more than that, too. The dedication of Unfixed is “For the stories that don’t end when you fall apart.” When I began this story, that’s what I needed a reminder of. That the story wasn’t over. And that theme plays out as characters appear dead only to still be alive.
It carries into the sequel too, with the dedication “For those looking for a resurrection.” I think at some point in life, we all need that reminder.
I know some people think it’s a cop-out, that there’s no stakes because a character can just be brought back, or that it’s a petty trick on the readers emotions. And sure, I could see that if the rules of the story world are all flimsy and willy-nilly.
But what I find in good story, is there’s always stakes, regardless of a resurrection. Even if the rules of the story allow characters to come back to life, there are always consequences. There may be things you can come back from, but there’s also some things you can’t. There’s always a cost, even if it’s not a permanent death.
That cost is explored throughout the Unfixed duology (at least, I humbly believe so), as well as other stories I love with deaths and resurrections. So give me a book with a good death, and give me a book with a good “turns out they weren’t so dead after all!” I’m in. And if you’re in too, this duology is for those, like me, looking for a resurrection.
