Module 4 - Fantasy & Science Fiction
"Read three of the following selections:"
Plot Summary
Liz suddenly wakes up on a boat with a roommate who has been shot in the head. Slowly Liz comes to realize that she is dead, just like everyone else on the boat, and is invited to view her own funeral. When the boat docks in Elsewhere, Liz longs to return to the original dock, but learns she can never go back to her old life. Moving on with her death means that Liz meets her maternal grandmother for the first time. This family reunion is a bit awkward for Liz, since she still clings to her old life. Liz spends months simply watching life back on earth before she finally realizes that she must move on with her death. In death, she eventually finds her true avocation, romance, and friendship. Her romantic relationship is complicated when his wife dies and comes to Elsewhere. Things are bumpy for Liz for a while; death is much like life in that respect. But with the help of her grandmother and friends, Liz lives (or dies?) a happy existence through the rest of her childhood, eventually realizing that life is life, whether you're dead or not.Critical Analysis
The 3rd person present-tense omniscient narration in this novel was very matter of fact. The characters come through entirely through their dialogue and actions rather than through knowing their thoughts. However, many of them feel very flat because we do not see their inner motivations. Liz and Owen develop as the narrative progresses, and we see this through the change in their actions and behaviors, but the descriptions are still very simplistic and to the point. This narrative style may appeal to reluctant readers due to its very simple sentence structure. It's not hard to get through any one portion of the story because of this narrative style.The setting of Elsewhere is essential to the book. Not only is it the title, therefore the focal point of the book, but the essential elements would not exist in any other world. Elsewhere, the afterlife, is unique in that time flows backwards. Liz will become younger as time goes on, which is quite distressing when you've never reached adulthood in the first place. Liz feels she has nothing to look forwards to because she already knows what to expect from being younger than she is now, but she laments never attaining the milestones of adulthood like her first romance. If the setting did not contain this element of time, the primary issue that Liz has to confront would be fundamentally different.
The ending of the book feels a bit rushed. Liz's self-discovery phase dominates the majority of the narrative, and then time is skipped past after that to give closure to her situation. We see the remainder of her 15 years pass in the last tenth of the book. Perhaps the author chose to do this so that Liz's story would be complete. We do get to see her live out her death, even if it happens so briefly. However, if this section were omitted, it would leave room for a sequel where further events of Liz's life are explored in greater depth. Although, with the near-utopian nature of Elsewhere, there may not exist enough conflict beyond the acceptance of death which Liz has already endured.
For a book that begins with a dog's narration of her owner's death and ends with the re-birth of our protagonist as a new baby, this book is significantly lacking in concrete spiritual references. There is one mention of God early on in the book during Liz's orientation to Elsewhere:
"God's there in the same way He, She, or It was before to you. Nothing has changed."Leaving God out of events may negate many of the complaints various faiths might have about the narrative. For the most part, the story is about living life and accepting and enjoying it rather than fretting over who is in charge of things. God is not mentioned again throughout the rest of the novel.
Reviewers differ on their perspective of the spirituality within this title. The Publishers Weekly reviewer comments:
"Prudently skirting the issue of God's role in Elsewhere...Zevin...bends the laws of physics and biology to create an intricately imagined world" (emphasis mine)Whereas the Booklist reviewer states:
"Zevin's conception of the afterlife will inevitably ruffle many theological feathers, the comfort it offers readers grieving for lost loved ones, as well as the simple, thrilling satisfaction derived from its bold engagement with basic, provocative questions of human existence, will far outweigh any offense its metaphysical perspective might give."(emphasis mine)Clearly there is some debate as to whether or not the lack of spirituality is innocuous or not, but it certainly does not play a very large role in the enjoyability of the narrative itself. This book would appeal to anyone who worries or wonders about the afterlife, or just wants to explore another concept of what it might be like. Readers of all faiths can find it acceptable as long as they can suspend disbelief long enough to get into the world of Elsewhere.
Bibliography
Zevin, Gabrielle. Elsewhere. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005. ISBN 0374320918.Awards/Reviews
ALA Notable Book for ChildrenFrom Publishers Weekly:
Even readers who have strong views on what happens after death may find themselves intrigued by the fascinating world of "Elsewhere," the place 15-year-old Liz ends up after she is killed in a bicycle accident. A surreal atmosphere permeates chapter one as Liz awakens on a ship (mostly occupied by elderly people), unaware of its destination. ... readers will likely be intrigued by the "strictly forbidden" Well. Prudently skirting the issue of God's role in Elsewhere (when she asks about God, Liz is told simply "God's there in the same way He, She, or It was before to you. Nothing has changed"), Margarettown author Zevin, in her first novel for young people, bends the laws of physics and biology to create an intricately imagined world.From School Library Journal:
Zevin's third-person narrative calmly, but surely guides readers through the bumpy landscape of strongly delineated characters dealing with the most difficult issue that faces all of us. A quiet book that provides much to think about and discuss.-Sharon Grover, Arlington County Department of Libraries, VAFrom Booklist:
Although the book may prove too philosophical for some, Zevin offers readers more than a gimmick-driven novel of ideas: the world of Elsewhere is too tangible for that. "A human's life is a beautiful mess," reflects Liz, and the observation is reinforced with strikingly conceived examples: a newly dead thirtysomething falls in love with Liz's grandmother, who is biologically similar in age but experientially generations older; fresh arrivals reunite with spouses long since departed, creating incongruous May-December marriages and awkward love triangles (as Liz experiences when her boyfriend's wife suddenly appears). At one poignant moment, four-year-old Liz loses the ability to read. The passage she attempts to decipher, which comes from Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting, 0 is another meditation on the march of time and change. Although Zevin's conception of the afterlife will inevitably ruffle many theological feathers, the comfort it offers readers grieving for lost loved ones, as well as the simple, thrilling satisfaction derived from its bold engagement with basic, provocative questions of human existence, will far outweigh any offense its metaphysical perspective might give. Far more than just a vehicle for a cosmology, this inventive novel slices right to the bone of human yearning, offering up an indelible vision of life and death as equally rich sides of the same coin. --Jennifer MattsonFrom Voice of Youth Advocates:
Readers who get past the dialogue, featuring a dog's account of its young mistress's death, will find this fantasy about the afterlife a fun and thought-provoking page-turner. ... Readers unwilling to suspend disbelief might find this story irritating. Zevin never explains how a fully grown baby enters its new mother's womb. Others will resent the instances of stereotyping-a rock star who overdoses, teens who drink, drive, and die. Still others will relish Zevin's lively imagination and her fast-moving plot. Buy this book for them.-Mary E. Heslin.
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