Thursday, December 7, 2006

Elsewhere


One of the best books I have read recently has been Elsewhere, by Gabrielle Zevin. It is about a girl, Liz, who wakes up one morning and finds herself on a boat to “Elsewhere.” She finds out eventually that she has died in a car accident (days before her 16th birthday) and “Elsewhere” is where one goes after one has died. Elsewhere is very much like Earth, except that you begin to age backwards in time from the time you die. Because of this, Liz finds herself struggling with the fact that she never reached her 16th birthday (let alone adulthood) and will never experience some of the important milestones one reaches as they age.

Despite the seemingly dark subject matter, the book is very funny and fun to read. Actually it is really hard to put down. Liz falls in love, finds her calling, and meets her grandmother for the first time on Elsewhere. She is able to make contact with her family and realizes that revenge is not the answer. The best part about this book is that it is VERY well written. Which I like very much.

If you would like to read Elsewhere, you can find the book in the SPL catalog by clicking here.

1 comment:

Sally C. said...

I loved Elsewhere too! I found it very well written. The scenes where Liz contacts her family are so very poingnant, and as the story progresses, you come to understand how much Liz's death, has affected the family she left behind, as well as her attempts to contact them. I found it to be a book that made me laugh and cry. Overall, a very satisfying read.