The Brief History of the Dead, Kevin Brockmeier
Book: 13
Title: The Brief History of the Dead
Author: Kevin Brockmeier
Genre: General fiction, some elements of magical realism
Brief summary: The city of the dead is a strange netherworld between life and death, where those who have died remain until everyone on earth who remembered them has died as well. The city begins clearing out with shocking suddenness when a plague pandemic sweeps through the world of the living, eventually killing everyone but one lone environmental biologist stationed solo at the South Pole. The book explores the stories of the remaining people in the city of the dead, all of whom knew the last living woman on earth, and the last living woman on earth herself.
Why did you get this book? Bookslut was all about this book, and I knew it was getting generally positive reviews. I read the first page and was hooked.
Do you like the cover? I like the color scheme and the layout. The picture, as often happens, doesn't have much to do with the literal sense of the book. But the atmosphere is right.
Did you enjoy the book? I loved this book. It was fantastic. Brockmeier's writing is that rare kind that draws attention to itself for being *good*, full of odd, startling metaphors that delight you with their inventiveness and clarity. And I love the concept.
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? I'd read The Truth about Celia, which was his first novel, and I liked it a lot, but it didn't hold a candle to this. I'm pretty sure I'm going to find myself a copy of the only other thing he's published so far, which is a collection of short stories and I can't remember the name.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping for sure.
Anything else? At first I thought I was reading the new Borges - Borges lite, to be sure, but I was that impressed. The book weakened a tad as it went on, and I'm a lot more hesitant to make that comparison now that I've finished it. But seriously. Good book.
Scale of 1 to 10: 9
Number of pages: 251
Total pages for the year: 4378
Title: The Brief History of the Dead
Author: Kevin Brockmeier
Genre: General fiction, some elements of magical realism
Brief summary: The city of the dead is a strange netherworld between life and death, where those who have died remain until everyone on earth who remembered them has died as well. The city begins clearing out with shocking suddenness when a plague pandemic sweeps through the world of the living, eventually killing everyone but one lone environmental biologist stationed solo at the South Pole. The book explores the stories of the remaining people in the city of the dead, all of whom knew the last living woman on earth, and the last living woman on earth herself.
Why did you get this book? Bookslut was all about this book, and I knew it was getting generally positive reviews. I read the first page and was hooked.
Do you like the cover? I like the color scheme and the layout. The picture, as often happens, doesn't have much to do with the literal sense of the book. But the atmosphere is right.
Did you enjoy the book? I loved this book. It was fantastic. Brockmeier's writing is that rare kind that draws attention to itself for being *good*, full of odd, startling metaphors that delight you with their inventiveness and clarity. And I love the concept.
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? I'd read The Truth about Celia, which was his first novel, and I liked it a lot, but it didn't hold a candle to this. I'm pretty sure I'm going to find myself a copy of the only other thing he's published so far, which is a collection of short stories and I can't remember the name.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping for sure.
Anything else? At first I thought I was reading the new Borges - Borges lite, to be sure, but I was that impressed. The book weakened a tad as it went on, and I'm a lot more hesitant to make that comparison now that I've finished it. But seriously. Good book.
Scale of 1 to 10: 9
Number of pages: 251
Total pages for the year: 4378