A review by leahhateshardbacks
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Elsewhere is life after death, and 15 year old Liz wakes up there after being hit by a cab on Earth. We follow her as she adjusts to life after death, learning about the world of Elsewhere and encountering old family and new friends.
•••
I first read this book as a teenager after my friend died. I was really sad, I'd lost a lot of faith in life and was so desperate to find someone or something that would understand how I was feeling and show me how to cope. When I found out this book was about death I decided to give it a go. I don't exactly remember how I felt the first time reading it, but as an adult it's one of the books I recall enjoying as a child.
•••
This world is very beautiful. In Elsewhere you age backwards until you become a baby again, at which point you are sent down the River to be reborn on Earth - and the cycle continues. This is really lovely because you get family members who have different relationships than they did on Earth as their age differences vary (e.g. there's one scene where two little boys are playing catch together and it's not clear until one calls the other Dad that they're really father and son UGH I'm literally crying that's so beautiful). But as an adult I didn't totally love the relationship between Liz and Owen.
•••
It's not the book's fault but this was genuinely quite triggering for me because it reminded me how angry I was as a child at being sold a false reality about death. I wish this lovely world where you live after you die was true but I was old enough to know that it wasn't and didn't appreciate the fantasy. I think this would be a good book for a child whose old grandparent died or something but there is simply no way to make the death of a child a happy thing. I have learned my lesson though I am absolutely not going to read anything that reminds me of this time because it was unbearably depressing to revisit lmao p.s. If you are my friend and see this review please never mention it to me just pretend you haven't seen it lol I don't want to talk about it this started as catharsis but actually I think it was just a mistake BUT I am a dedicated reviewer!!
•••
I first read this book as a teenager after my friend died. I was really sad, I'd lost a lot of faith in life and was so desperate to find someone or something that would understand how I was feeling and show me how to cope. When I found out this book was about death I decided to give it a go. I don't exactly remember how I felt the first time reading it, but as an adult it's one of the books I recall enjoying as a child.
•••
This world is very beautiful. In Elsewhere you age backwards until you become a baby again, at which point you are sent down the River to be reborn on Earth - and the cycle continues. This is really lovely because you get family members who have different relationships than they did on Earth as their age differences vary (e.g. there's one scene where two little boys are playing catch together and it's not clear until one calls the other Dad that they're really father and son UGH I'm literally crying that's so beautiful). But as an adult I didn't totally love the relationship between Liz and Owen.
•••
It's not the book's fault but this was genuinely quite triggering for me because it reminded me how angry I was as a child at being sold a false reality about death. I wish this lovely world where you live after you die was true but I was old enough to know that it wasn't and didn't appreciate the fantasy. I think this would be a good book for a child whose old grandparent died or something but there is simply no way to make the death of a child a happy thing. I have learned my lesson though I am absolutely not going to read anything that reminds me of this time because it was unbearably depressing to revisit lmao p.s. If you are my friend and see this review please never mention it to me just pretend you haven't seen it lol I don't want to talk about it this started as catharsis but actually I think it was just a mistake BUT I am a dedicated reviewer!!