Elsewhere

2.5

I really love theorizing about what could happens after death. Will we go to heaven or to hell? Or is there just nothing? Or perhaps something completely different than what we have thought could ever be?
I already have lots of theories, except this one. Well, the ending (in the book) was actually something I thought about before, but not the beginning. How, when you die, you’re on a cruise to that island called Elswhere. It’s really interesting, which is why it’s also really disappointing that i can’t rate this higher than 2.5 stars.

I definitely want to rate this higher and I’ve thought about it a lot. But 3 stars just seem too much. Overall, it was just little things that I’ve enjoyed reading about; everything else wasn’t for me, which were sadly the most and main parts.

It’s such a great and interesting world, worth exploring, but what does the author focuses on? Minor things like romance and getting married and get your drivers license, etc, which are such earth-like things. You already have those on earth, why go through them after death as well?

At some point, I do get it. I suppose the author wanted to convey the message that death is not an ending, and even though you’ve died young, that doesn’t mean you’re gonna loose out on all the things that you experience at certain ages. I suppose the author also wanted to say that death could as well be another life, just a bit different. They never meant to make it a fantasy world where everything is possible. And god doesn’t exist after all. Death is just like life on earth.
I do respect her theory though, as we don’t know how things are after death. I get that, and that part I think was executed well. It just didn’t suit me.
Especillay because I’m so disappointed in the lazy writing when it comes to world-building. I’ll say it again: this “elsewhere” is goddamn interesting and really worth to be explored!

Yet, there were so many grounds to dive deeper into this world and establish actually something.
For example, the mysterious part of it. I noticed lots of characters there saying “I don’t know why, it just is” or “it’s always been that way”.
That seems a bit fishy there. Why would they not be interested in finding out “why” it is that way? Why are they just accepting their new life? There’s more to the world than the people seem to tell you and I want to find out.
Matters like these are always good grounds and most authors have used that before. It might be a little cliche I guess, but it works. Especially when the protagonist is new to the world and doesn’t want to accept the fact that things just seem to »be«, without knowing the reason.
But the protagonists apparently is oblivious to that and doesn’t care about it. She does asks “why” sometimes, but accepts the answer “I don’t know”.
That’s not good enough for me.

~

Another thing that upset me a lot was the romance. Now, for all the romance-lovers out there it might actually be a good thing, but for me, it definitely wasn’t. But I generally don’t like to read about romance, so there’s that.
Maybe I shouldn’t have read it in the first place, but I guess I just didn’t think it would be that much of a major topic in the book (more than half of it, that is).

And by the way, Liz is really cringe when it comes to love or dates. Teenagers are always cringe, but particular lines from her had me want to puke a bit.
For example. “You could tattoo my name on your arm, if you want.”
The context: she’s been with her date for a couple of weeks and the guy has a tattoo with his wife’s name on his arm (the wife is still on earth and he’s been in elsewhere (aka dead) for about 10 years). Liz looks at it and then concludes, now that they are dating, that he should tattoo her name on his arm.
What the actual fuck?

Another sentence, because Liz was jealous: “everything is changing, all because stupid Emily couldn’t be bothered to wash her hands properly.” (Emily had the flu btw and is Owen’s wife.)

But the most cringe part must be when Owen and Liz actually kiss. And let me tell you, that is after Emily and Owen reunited. So he literally cheated on her. And it wasn’t during a fight. The cliche and cringe way to shit someone up.
Fuck romance, I don’t ever want to have anything to do with it and for once I want to read a story that has its loyalties in check.

Emily is the best character probably because she sees it in a very mature way and handles the situation the best. Still, it’s very disappointing and makes me hate romance even more.

That line at the end though – “life is better with a little romance, you know.” – bugs me a lot.
No, romance is not better. Ever heard of aromantics? Well, google it, if not. Life can be just as happy for those who have never experienced romance, than those who have. And besides, I’m so sick of all media always putting romance above friendships. Because at the end, friendships are much stronger. It’s time authors write about that.

~

Another thing, not about romance this time, is Liz and her insensitivity towards other people’s decisions.
With Curtis, she doesn’t want to accept the fact that he doesn’t want to sing anymore.
For context: Curtis was in a band called “machine” and then died pretty much the same time when Liz did, so they kinda became friends. Yet, Curtis chose to be a fisherman instead of continuing singing or writing songs.
It’s normal, isn’t it? Some things are fun while they lasted, but even hobbies, that were there your whole life, eventually stop making you happy and you quit. And sometimes you even do something completely else, something you’ve never tried before.
I’m sure we all had that feeling in some way or another.
But Liz? She’s just completely like this: “you’re from my favorite band and I completely don’t understand why you don’t want to continue doing music!” And when he explains, she’s like: “but that’s stupid!”
Yet, her own reasons don’t make much sense anyway, and she even expects people to have empathy for her. But she doesn’t have for others.

~

So, in conclusion, the book suffers from the protagonist-syndrome (or main character syndrome) and the fact that the world is only half-built. The author decided to fill the pages with cliche teenage romance, instead of exploring and diving deeper into the mysteries.
It had potential, but the way it was executed is not worth the read, to be honest. The theory in itself is interesting, and the first 100 pages mostly had me going, but then it just went downhill...