Random Reads
Teen Book Reviews by Anne Keller
Afterlife
Lovely Bones type stories that deal with life after death told from the point of view of the deceased.
Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt
Keturah is being raised by her grandparents in the poor village Tide by Rood. One day, she follows the great male deer into the woods and becomes lost. She wanders for several days and eventually awaits her death. She is soon visited by Lord Death and feels an immediate connection. Keturah uses her gift of storytelling to stall her imminent death. She weaves a story for Lord Death but refuses to reveal the ending. He agrees to let Keturah live if she can find her true love in one day. Keturah frantically searches for him but finds herself falling in love with Lord Death. This novel will enchant many but don't look for a happily ever after ending.
Elsewhereby Gabrielle Zevin
Liz is fifteen years old when she is killed in a hit and run accident. She arrives in a place called Elsewhere, where it is peaceful and the weather is always pleasant. She is greeted by her Grandmother Betty who died before Liz was born. Betty takes Liz to her appointment at the Department of Acclimation. Liz learns that she will never grow older but instead will age backward from the day of death until she becomes a baby again and then is returned to earth. She also finds out she must pick an avocation, a sort of job where she will get paid. She ends working in the Division of Domestic Animals where she greets pets as they arrive in Elsewhere. Liz ends up adopting a dog and learns that dogs can actually speak. In elsewhere, Marilyn Monroe runs a psychiatric clinic, Picasso is still painting, and there are viewing decks where people can get brief glimpses of earth if they want to check in on their loved ones. Gabrielle Zevin creates a wonderful cast of supporting characters that infiltrate Liz's world by becoming a wonderful support system. If you like books that address what happens after you die, you will absolutely love this book. The Sledding Hillby Chris Crutcher
Eddie is fourteen years old when he loses his best friend Billy and his father in bizarre accidents. The first half of the novel deals with Billy’s emotional state as he stops talking while coping with his loss. The second half of the novel completely shifts gears as Crutcher uses this novel to address the issue of censorship. Eddie is reading a book entitled Warren Peece by an obscure author Chris Crutcher. A minister from the The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. A deadly virus has spread rapidly across Earth, effectively cutting off wildlife specialist Laura Byrd at her crippled Antarctica research station from the rest of the world. Meanwhile, the planet's dead populate "the city," located on a surreal Earth-like alternate plane, but their afterlives depend on the memories of the living, such as Laura, back on home turf. Forced to cross the frozen tundra, Laura free-associates to keep herself alert; her random memories work to sustain a plethora of people in the city, including her best friend from childhood, a blind man she'd met in the street, her former journalism professor and her parents. Brockmeier (The Truth About Celia) follows all of them with sympathy, from their initial, bewildered arrival in the city to their attempts to construct new lives. He meditates throughout on memory's power and resilience, and gives vivid shape to the city, a place where a giraffe's spots might detach and hover about a street conversation among denizens. He simultaneously keeps the stakes of Laura's struggle high: as she fights for survival, her parents find a second chance for love—but only if Laura can keep them afloat. Other subplots are equally convincing and reflect on relationships in a beautiful, delicate manner; the book seems to say that, in a way, the virus has already arrived. (Feb.)
My comments on the story: While this book has an intriguing premise, I found the book to be completely frustrating. The ending was too abrubt, nothing is revealed, and readers will be equally disappointed in such an unresolved ending. One one hand, I wonder how such literature was published. On the other hand, I can't stop thinking about the book. You may be wondering why I have even included this book on my site since I usually only include books that I think others would enjoy. My director recommended this book because she thought it was outstanding and a great read. After I read the book, I was even a little perturbed that I had wasted my time on such literature. Usually, after about 50 pages if I don't like a book, I give up. Time is too precious. But, since this was HIGHLY recommended by my boss, I thought I would muddle through. Eventually, a realization dawned on me that the beauty of literature is that it is open to interpetation. While somebody may read a book and think it is the greatest novel ever, another may wonder how it even got published. So Beware, read this book at your own discretion and be prepared to be awed or may read the last page screaming in frustration.
For One More Day by Mitch Albom
I was totally chomping at the bit to read this book. I kept waiting and waiting for the release date because I hoped it would be as good as The Five People You Meet in Heaven. In my opinion, it was better than Tuesdays with Morrie but not nearly as good as the Heaven book. Although I read it in one sitting and it is quite a nice story, it nowhere resembled or impacted me the way The Five People in Heaven did. For One More Day tells the story about having one more day with a loved one who has died. In the case of Chic Benetto, it's his mother. Chic is a big time loser alcoholic who can't keep a steady job or his marriage together. He is not even invited to his daughter's wedding. He decides to kill himself but the process gives him one more day with his mother and a journey of self-discovery. A very nice story without the previous novel's acclaim.
The Afterlifeby Gary Soto
Chuy, the main character dies on page two. He is in the bathroom of a dance club getting ready to make the moves on a girl he wants to be with. Chuy makes a life ending mistake by commenting that he likes the shoes of another man in the bathroom. The soon to be murderer misinterprets the comment and retaliates by stabbing Chuy to death. What happens next is a Lovely Bones type novel in which the main character narrates the story from the afterlife. He is able to float around Restless: A Ghost's Storyby Rich Wallace
Herbie is a talented athlete who excels in football and cross-country. One night, he runs through the town’s cemetery and he feels an eerie presence. He continues running this trek while the presence only increases in intensity. The presence is finally revealed to be the ghost of a long lost relative who died in 1888. The ghost is caught between worlds. Herbie also encounters the ghost of his long dead brother Frank who died when he was seventeen. Frank is eager to live through Herbie in order to experience all the opportunities he missed out on from dying at such a young age from cancer. The originality of this book will keep you hooked until the end while silently taking inventory of your own life.