Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield

(Public Domain image)

This is a moving and haunting book about death and how to live one's life.  I did find it difficult to get through, however, because there are so many deaths and it's really pretty morbid.

Bellman, a talented entrepreneur, lives a tragic life.  He eventually decides to build a mourning emporium, so he makes a bargain with a mysterious  man called Black.  Black keeps appearing at funerals, and Bellman must attempt to work out who he is and what he wants.

Rooks are a pervading theme of this eerie and riveting book.  With its lyrical writing and strange story, this book by Diane Setterfield well-worth reading.