#3 of 52 – 52 Books in 52 Weeks

The short story: I loved this book so much that I cried my eyes dry at the end.

The long story: for me, the plot was unexpected in most places. The initial premise is that the main character, Helen, is a ghost–one who haunts (though “attaches herself to” is probably a better phrase)–several people over the course of time. One day, she is seen for the first time by one of the Living (the Quick, as she calls them).

The story blooms from there, and I won’t post any spoilers in case you’re inclined to read it. I quickly fell in love with the author’s beautiful prose, such as this:

Although I could not feel paper between my fingers, smell ink, or taste the tip of a pencil, I could see and hear the world with all the clarity of the Living. They, on the other hand, did not see me, as a shadow or a floating vapor. To the Quick, I was empty air.

So imagine Helen’s shock when, for the first time in decades after decades, one of the Living finally sees her.

I noticed that as the story progressed and included more dialogue, the poetic quality of the prose seemed to diminish. Nevertheless, the storytelling continued to keep me drawn in.

I didn’t realize until after I finished and did some searches online, that the novel is considered a young adult selection. I didn’t get a sense that it was–just because the characters are teenagers didn’t make it a young adult novel for me. Also, I’ve read some negative remarks regarding the portrayal of Christians, based on the Christian family in the story. It didn’t bother me, though I suppose I can see how some people, more sensitive probably, could respond that way. Personally, I didn’t find the novel to be “graphic” (another of the complaints in the Amazon reviews)–but I’m not sensitive to that type of writing either. There were a few elements to the resolution of the story that left me wondering–but I was satisfied with the ending.

Something that stayed with me is the juxtaposition of the novel’s premise, and my expectations prior to reading the book. I picked this up on a whim, based probably on the fact that I liked the cover of the book as well as the title (taken from an Emily Dickinson poem). When I read the synopsis on the back cover, I kind of thought it would be one of those “I see dead people” stories. While the theme of ghosts is definitely prevalent, in the end the story is just as much about the living; while it approaches the subject of death, it’s just as much about life. And that’s a beautiful thing.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 2nd, 2009 at 9:07 pm and is filed under 52 Books in 52 Weeks, Bookworm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.