Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin Book Review

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

“Dying is just another part of living. In time, you may even come to see your death as a birth.”

Elsewhere is the story of Liz, a girl who was killed in a hit-and-run accident and her life after death.

The story starts off from Liz’s dog, Lucy’s point of view.  You can tell that this book is going to involve talking animals, which I’m not fond of.

Liz wakes up on a boat called the SS Nile. There she meets Thandi a sixteen year old who was shot in the head and they try to figure out where they are and where they’re going. Liz also meets Curtis Jest, a singer for Liz’s favourite band who died from an overdose. You meet various other characters throughout the book like Grandma Betty and Owen

In Elsewhere no one gets older everyone gets younger, it’s an interesting concept and the only thing in the book that made me read it to the end.

  

In the beginning you understand why she’s so bratty because she’s dead, she died before she could experience life and she’s angry because of that but Liz never changes, she’s so annoying and self centred that it ruins the entire book.

“Liz takes one last look in the binoculars, checking to make sure that the people who should be at her funeral are there.”

Liz later goes on to complain about how her favourite subject teachers aren`t at her funeral and how disgusting that is.  Her best friend, Zooey isn’t at the funeral and Liz blames her death on her. See what I’m getting at – if you don`t go to her funeral you’re a bad person, totally disregarding the point on how people mourn in their own ways.

“Easy for you to say. You chose this.”

People go though dark moments in their lives, Curtis Jest is one of them. There are moments in his life when he wanted to die but in the end he wanted live.  So Liz says something like that to him he’s gonna fell shitty.

At the start when she first meets her Grandma, she’s so rude and impulsive I don`t get how Grandma Betty allowed her to stay let alone keep giving her chances.

“Liz imagines herself as a beautiful, benevolent, generous angel looking down on everyone”

I’m all for self esteem and loving yourself but that is like … too much and the whole issue with her watching Zooey cry and feeling better about her life. Why?

“She wishes they would talk about her more often.”

This again.

“Why do two people ever fall in love? It’s a mystery.”

Insta-love between Owen who’s 17 but when he died he was in his early 30’s – he’s with a 15 year old and as Liz’s and Owen’s relationship progresses it just gets awkward.

“Oh! she says. I like you very much too!”

“You could tattoo my name on your arm, if you want”

And when Owen’s wife comes back – it’s cringe worthy

“Liz, of course she’ll stay with me.”…. “What about us?”

“Who the hell dies of the flu except really old people? Liz thinks how everything is changing, all because stupid Emily couldn`t be bothered to wash her hands properly.”

Also Betty and Curtis’s relationship – love is sniffing someone’s hair

And finally the ending is predictable but that was to be expected.