Elsewhere by Gabriel Zevin

Author: Gabriel Zevin
Publish Date: May 15, 2007
Website: http://www.memoirsofa.com/
ISBN: 9780312367466
List Price: $6.95
My Rating: 5 out of 5

Jacket Synopsis:
 Welcome to Elsewhere. It is warm, with a breeze, and the beaches are marvelous. It’s quiet and peaceful. You can’t get sick or any older. Curious to see new paintings by Picasso? Swing by one of Elsewhere’s museums. Need to talk to someone about your problems? Stop by Marilyn Monroe’s psychiatric practice. 

Elsewhere is where fifteen-year-old Liz Hall ends up, after she has died. It is a place so like Earth, yet completely different. Here Liz will age backward from the day of her death until she becomes a baby again and returns to Earth. But Liz wants to turn sixteen, not fourteen again. She wants to get her driver’s license. She wants to graduate from high school and go to college. And now that she’s dead, Liz is being forced to live a life she doesn’t want with a grandmother she has only just met. And it is not going well. How can Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and embrace a new one? Is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different from a life lived forward? 

My Comments:
One of the most adorable books I have read in a long time. It was the most enjoyable read. I love Zevin's interpretation of death and where we go, especially, through the eyes of a 15 year old girl. She is such a cynic when she arrives in Elsewhere with the attitude of anything done there is pointless. The Elsewhere world that Zevin imagines and brings to life in this book is practical & amazing. My favorite parts are that life (death) is perceived differently in this world. In Elsewhere, you age backwards to be reborn again on Earth and have another chance at life's experiences. The best part is you are able to talk to the animals. The personalities that Zevin gives the animals completely personifies a best friend attitudes and it is beautiful. 

What a unique and beautiful premise about life and death. An amazing journey between Earth and Elsewhere. A story of loss, love, and rejuvenation of life... I truly loved this book.