Paranormal Coming of Age Novel: Elsewhere Book Review
As part of our read-along of The Graveyard Book, Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings has invited us to blog about our favorite coming of age novels, so I thought about some of my old loves. The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird and The Giver and Anne of Green Gables came immediately to mind. Then I thought about paranormal coming of age books I liked and realized I had already reviewed two: The Lovely Bones and Something Wicked This Way Comes. I hope you check them out.
Today we’re going to discuss the coming of age novel Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin.
This poignant, delightful book reminds me of The Lovely Bones in that it features a young teen whose life is cut short (and who’s not too happy about that). Both novels follow a teen’s maturity as she moves through the grief stages–denial, anger, bargaining. But Elsewhere delves into this theme with a softer touch (more appropriate for young adults).
After protagonist Liz dies in a hit-and-run, she finds herself traveling to Elsewhere, a term Lois Lowry first popularized in The Giver. (For any of you teachers out there, Elsewhere makes a good companion read to The Giver.) Author Zevin envisions Elsewhere as an afterlife in which people age backwards from their age at death. I have to say, the idea has some appeal. Your knowledge/expertise increases as your age count decreases–a sort of solution to the paradox that youth is wasted on the young.
Wouldn’t you love the wisdom of a sixty-year-old and the body of a twenty-year-old? Hmmm…how can I sign up? For Liz, however, this offers less appeal since she achieved so few years on Earth. She bemoans never attending prom, never having a boyfriend, never earning her driver’s license.
Part of Liz’s journey, or coming of age, is to bury her grief and embrace her new life (aka death). She must lose her addiction to the Observation Deck where she spies on her living family, forgive the driver who killed her, and seek her avocation. (Another thing I love about this society is that people have avocations rather than vocations. Mine would be reading. Yep.)
With humor and poignancy, Gabrielle Zevin explores the universal theme of coming of age that has attracted so many authors before her. The only difference is that this time it occurs Elsewhere.
6 thoughts on “Paranormal Coming of Age Novel: Elsewhere Book Review”
the premise does sound fascinating. and I thought of Benjamin Button; which is a good thing because I like the idea and the challenges/complications of it. the shift to an elsewhere sounds brilliant. will have to add this one to my to-reads.
Ah yes, I forgot about Benjamin Button. His life was sad much of the time since he was so isolated in his anti-aging. Elsewhere doesn’t focus on the anti-aging so much as it does on the coming of age/coming to terms with adversity. Please let me know if you like it.
I will definitely give this book a go. It sounds really good. Elsewhere is such a great concept – a bit like Gaiman with his ‘Neverwhere’.
Thanks
Lynn 😀
Cool! Let me know what you think of it.
Yes, I definitely would take that wisdom at that age. How interesting life would have been/would be.
Its been forever since I’ve read Something Wicked This Way Comes. It was during my own coming of age period and just thinking about it gets the nostalgic juices flowing. I need to revisit it one day and in so doing revisit my young self.
I think Something Wicked This Way Comes would do well on a second read. When you already know the plot, it’s sometimes easier to sink into the writing. Some fantastic, crazy, extended metaphors lurk in that book!