Review of A Mourning Coat by Alex Jeffers
Alex Jeffers’ A Mourning Coat (Neon Hemlock, 2024) is a lushly written, cozy novella about what happens after the death of a loved one for whom you gave up much of your own life. Set in a world just slightly removed from our own, with a minimal bit of contemporary fantasy elements, the story weaves together family, grief, and what comes next.
Therre has been caring for his father for more than five years, watching his beloved parent’s descent deeper into dementia. Having put his own life and dreams on hold to do so, he experiences a mix of relief and grief as he stumbles through his relationships with his estranged half-sister and his ex-lover in the wake of his father’s death. After creating a stunning mourning garment for himself, he finds the world more than ready to take him back with grasping, clutching hands, forcing him to navigate even more on top of his wild mix of emotions.
Every page of this novella drips with stunning prose, a brilliant reflection of Therre’s artistry and unique view of the world. Therre and the other characters are wonderfully human and delightfully flawed. And the world Jeffers has put them in has faint hints of our own, but with many variations worked seamlessly into the fabric of the story. There was a single chapter that felt extraneous to me as it explained the history upon which a film that Therre was going to create the costumes for was based, but others may enjoy this digression and grasp its significance in a way I did not.
If you love reading elaborate prose and cozy plots, A Mourning Coat is a perfect opportunity for both!
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