After Death

            What happens when we die? That is a very confusing and controversial topic. Some people believe that when you die, you are simply gone from the world and don't go anywhere else. However, others find this hard to imagine and believe that when you die, your soul goes to a place in the sky where God lives (heaven, paradise, etc.) Some even believe that when you die, you are reborn as someone else in a process called reincarnation. However, when Liz Hall dies in the book "Elsewhere" by Gabrielle Zevin, she goes to a place called Elsewhere. In Elsewhere, everyone ages backwards, and when they become babies, they are sent back to earth. This book shows a bit of a mix of heaven and reincarnation. However, it avoids religion, which is an interesting choice because most beliefs of what happens after death have to do with religion. At one point, Liz asks about what part God plays in Elsewhere, and she answered with a statement about how God does not directly appear in Elsewhere, but is as present or absent as God is on earth. 

             This book had a very creative premise. It made me think about what really happens after death. This book also impressed me because it managed to basically avoid being controversial or too intense, which is very hard to do with this topic. Although the writing was sometimes lazy and Liz could be whiny, it was overall a pretty good book.