For over 60% of the people all over the world, cellphones are a part of everyday life, and something Daniel Nayeri takes full advantage of as Blow, along with three other novellas (Straw House, Wood House, and Brick House), was written completely off of an iPhone. Unlike the titles seem to suggest, Blow isn’t about The Three Little Pigs in the slightest. Instead, narrated by Death, the story follows two star-crossed lovers from childhood—despite them never meeting until halfway through the story. =

The novella has a large focus on Death, as his perspective provides valuable insight into the story. He’s able to narrate the characters’ past, their present, and their future, and even walk alongside them in real time. Chloe is the daughter of Pierre le Seigneur, a famed flower quilter whose only rival was Babbo Giovanni, a marble painter and father of Giacomo. 

Their competition can be seen inside of every house’s decorations, but it isn’t the only thing standing in the way of Chloe and Giacomo. Along with a two-year age gap between 17-year-old Chloe and a 15-year-old Giacomo, a language barrier of French and Italian prevents any significant communication between them. However, when they meet, after an accident introduces Chloe to Death for two years, their connection is instant. 

But the story doesn’t end with their first meeting, or even their fathers’ reaction to the news. Prince Kaiser (referred to repeatedly as Prince Dimple Pimple) appears on the scene with land pirate queen Brutessa, a dwarf and his bodyguard and second in command. Only here, near the halfway point of the book, is any element of fantasy (besides Death itself) mentioned, but it remains a secondary part of the story. But the pair seems to have a hidden agenda, and it’s even one that involves the immortal narrator.

The ending isn’t as climactic as it could have been, though it was chaotic and could be a little messy—reflective of the way it was written on an iPhone (although without knowing, it’s impossible to tell that it was that way). Blow was a quick, comedically light but chaotic read with sweet relationships and rivalries that remain standing in the face of language barriers and scheming princes.