Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin offers a theory about what happens after one dies. Zevin describes an afterlife in which all age backwards until the dead reach infancy again. At infancy, the dead are shipped back down a river to be reborn on earth. Initially, I saw this theory as quite optimistic, but I was soon proved wrong. While this would be a wonderfully satisfying afterlife for one who already lived a long life on earth, it is only full of missed opportunities for a dead teenager such as the main character, Liz. Dead at 15, Liz never has the chance to get her driver’s license, go to prom or to her best friend’s wedding. She becomes addicted to looking through lenses at the observation deck, where she can see into the lives of her loved ones who are still alive, destroying her mental and social health. Although Zevin describes the after world (often called “elsewhere”) with great detail, she neglects to give Liz much of a personality. Liz has few distinct features. I can’t help but wonder whether this was intentional, rather than lazy writing. Possibly Zevin meant to make Liz’s life and afterlife applicable to every teenage girl, without turning her into a complete stereo-type or cliché. Zevin illustrates her ideas of life after death through a generic girl, putting a twist on the idea of heaven.