Elsewhere [Paperback]

 

 

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Stories about the Afterlife have always appealed to me. There are thousands upon thousands of interpretations out there about what, exactly, happens to a person after they die. ELSEWHERE is a new spin on an old topic, but it manages to bring emotion, realism, and entertainment to something that is, in most circumstances, a very depressing situation. To me, ELSEWHERE is a combination of Mitch Ablom's THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN and Alice Sebold's THE LOVELY BONES, two other wonderful books dealing with death and the Afterlife. ELSEWHERE goes beyond those two books, however, taking readers on a journey into a land so much like Earth, and yet so very, very different.

Fifteen-year-old Elizabeth "Liz" "Lizzie" Marie Hall has found herself in ELSEWHERE after dying in a bicycle-meets-taxi accident. After taking a long ride on the SS Nile, Liz has finally realized that she's not in a dream after all, but really, truly dead. When she arrives on Elsewhere, she meets her maternal grandmother, Betty, for the very first time. A woman who died at fifty from breast cancer, Betty is now a woman in her thirties. One of the first surprises Liz is in for is the fact that, on Elsewhere, lives are lived backwards from the age of a person's death. Needless to say, this thought depresses Liz. She'll never be sixteen, never have a Massachusetts driver's license, never go to the prom or graduate from high school or go to college or get married. The only thing she has to look forward to is growing younger, until she returns to being an infant and is sent back to Earth to be born again.

Liz spends her first month on Elsewhere spending all of her time--and her grandmother's eternims, the currency used there--to watch her family, friends, and classmates back on Earth. She's soon a regular at the OD's, or Observation Decks, watching life on Earth pass her by. She's upset that her best friend, Zooey, didn't attend her funeral. Her parents are inconsolable, her younger brother, Alvy, tells jokes to get through the day, and her dog, Lucy, refuses to accept that Liz isn't coming back.

It takes awhile, but Liz finally realizes that spending hours upon hours at the OD's is not helping her adjust to life on Elsewhere. She finds a new friend in Owen, one of the detectives in charge of keeping the inhabitants of Elsewhere away from the Well, where contact with people on Earth is possible, but illegal. She once again befriends Thandi, a young girl killed on Earth by a stray bullet, who was her bunkmate on the SS Nile. She gets closer to grandmother Betty, finally takes a job in the Division of Domestic Animals helping recently departed pets find new owners, and seems to be finding a place on Elsewhere.

I really loved this story. One of the most delightful things in ELSEWHERE is the animals, especially the dogs. Liz, a natural at the language of Canine, is able to interpret for her four-legged friends, and finally understands everything they have to say. I can't truly imagine aging backwards, but Gabrielle Zevin has managed to create a truly believable story that is realistic, entertaining, and emotional, all at the same time. This is definitely a recommended read, and in all honesty, I would love to visit the land of Elsewhere again in the future.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

I read this book and it was only AFTER I finished it that I found out it's target audience is "young teen". As a 45 year old mother of two, I am far beyond that demographic, but must admit I LOVED this book. Sometimes you read a book thats premise is so different than anything else you've ever read, and this book fits the bill. As an avid reader of various gendres, this book was a real surprise. Two months after reading it,I still find myself thinking of various scenes in the book and the little "twists" the author put in that made me actually put the book down to process the idea presented. Its one of those books that when I finished it, I was sorry it was over. I would highly recommend to anyone who wants a different take on the afterlife and what its what its like "Elsewhere"!

"Woman hold her head and cry;
Comforting her I was passing by.
She complained, then she cry"
(Lyrics from "Johnny Was" by Bob Marley)

Lizzie Hall thinks she's dreaming.

She's dreaming she's on a ship
And she's bald
And she has a room-mate named Thandiwe
And she's got stitches over her ear
And Thandi has a hole in her head
From a stray bullet

And then she starts to remember

She remembers heading for the mall
With a friend
To pick a dress for her friend for the prom
And she remembers her bicycle
And a taxicab
And a collision

And finally she realizes

That's she's really on a ship
To Elsewhere
Which is where you go
When your number comes up
And there ain't no heaven or hell -
Just Elsewhere

In this unique vision of the afterlife, the recently deceased find themselves aboard the SS Nile, bound for Elsewhere. The thing about Elsewhere is that it's just like "here", with houses and cars and jobs, except that people age backwards, getting younger every year.

"What happens when you hit the big zero?" you may ask.

Let's just say that in Elsewhere, recycling is the way to go, gently down the stream, without a paddle.

At first, fifteen year old Lizzie finds it hard to adjust to not being alive, but with the love and support of her now middle-aged grandmother, she is finally able to find her niche in death. Along the way she makes mistakes, but she also makes life-long friends, although of course that's a variable factor anywhere.

A "coming of age" story in reverse and an intriguing concept (albeit a little over-simplified in certain aspects) this book is recommended for ages twelve and up, but definitely one to be considered.

Amanda Richards

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