Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

Elsewhere is a novel about a 15 year old girl, Elizabeth Hall, is killed in a car accident. Her whole “life” is turned upside down. After her death, she is in heaven, called Elsewhere, and back living with her Grandma it’s the strangest feeling for her. In Elsewhere, they are not dead. They all live, work, play and have relationships, as we do here on earth. Most importantly, they all age. Except, they age backwards, from the time they stepped foot on Elsewhere, to when they become a baby again, and they get transported to a new chance for life.
After watching her own funeral (used by her high school principal as an opportunity to lecture on traffic safety), Liz realizes that this is no dream. Nor is it exactly her "life." Liz is dead. She has to get used to the fact that she will never drive a car, get married, have children or find true love. Or will she? She falls in love with a young man, who saved her from drowning and realises that life on Elsewhere isn’t so bad after all.
Elsewhere is a book that once you start reading, you wouldn’t want to put down. Very gripping story line and the characters were perfect. Specifically, “Sorry, but nothing of much importance ever happened to me...I’m just a girl who forgot to look both ways before she crossed the street”. The author, Gabrielle Zevin, remarkably engaged the reader and made them want to read on.
Zevin has taken an everyday concept, turned it on its head and written what can only be described as a believable story about what happens to everyone when they die. Good readers of 13 and above would absolutely love this book. It challenges views on life-after-death and may help people understand that death isn’t all bad.
I most definitely recommend this book to anybody, who loves an emotionally attaching plot and amazing characters. I found myself crying at some points during the book, not because of the sadness of her dying, purely because it can change your views on almost everything such as, relationships and love, life after death, family and friends and the importance that you will always live on.
If you don’t enjoy reading, make an exception for this!


MD Year 9