(Originally published 2011, Paperback edition 358 pages)
Mr. Abramson's story is written in the first-person narrative of a 30ish-year-old, dead woman named Helena Colden. Two weeks after kicking the bucket, her noncorporeal self realizes she can observe the lives of people she knew when she was alive. Descriptions of the afterlife are intentionally ignored. I guess you could say she seems to be in some sort of waiting phase before moving on to whatever. She has the ability to witness multiple events that are happening at nearly the same time despite the situations occurring at very distant places from each other. The primary people who Helena observes are her grieving husband/high-powered attorney, David Colden; Dr. Jane Cassidy (Jaycee) who is a scientist dealing in primate research; a kindly veterinarian partner named Joshua Marks; and an African-American woman named Sally Hanson as well as her 10-year-old son Cliff who has Asperger's. All the characters have two things in common. They are still wrestling with the death of a loved one and animals are an integral part of their lives.
The primary thrust of the story is the healing nature of animals and how we can learn to accept the inevitability of death. It also covers the pros and cons of using animals as... well... guinea pigs for scientific research. Each character is written in a wellrounded way. Even the antagonists are not completely evil stereotypes, but given a little bit of time to explain what they believe. The story contains enough suspense and mystery to keep the reader interested, but the main focus is on the different characters' introspections. Mr. Abramson's first book is an easy, well-written, Prozac of a story that will likely appeal primarily to people who have ever lost a pet and secretly hope that whatever lays beyond death isn't so bad. Despite the morbid nature of dealing with the Grim Reaper, the book has a life-affirming feel to it. Being a "dog person", I enjoyed it very much. It left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling.
The primary thrust of the story is the healing nature of animals and how we can learn to accept the inevitability of death. It also covers the pros and cons of using animals as... well... guinea pigs for scientific research. Each character is written in a wellrounded way. Even the antagonists are not completely evil stereotypes, but given a little bit of time to explain what they believe. The story contains enough suspense and mystery to keep the reader interested, but the main focus is on the different characters' introspections. Mr. Abramson's first book is an easy, well-written, Prozac of a story that will likely appeal primarily to people who have ever lost a pet and secretly hope that whatever lays beyond death isn't so bad. Despite the morbid nature of dealing with the Grim Reaper, the book has a life-affirming feel to it. Being a "dog person", I enjoyed it very much. It left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling.
Meyers - A few years ago, I
started writing, under the pseudonym Franklin the Mouse, short
reviews at Amazon's web site. This is my most recent review #316)
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