Synopsis
An ordinary family man, geologist, and Mormon, Soren Johansson has always believed he’ll be reunited with his loved ones after death in an eternal hereafter. Then, he dies. Soren wakes to find himself cast by a God he has never heard of into a Hell whose dimensions he can barely grasp: a vast library he can only escape from by finding the book that contains the story of his life.
In this haunting existential novella, author, philosopher, and ecologist Steven L. Peck explores a subversive vision of eternity, taking the reader on a journey through the afterlife of a world where everything everyone believed in turns out to be wrong.
Review
I’m honestly not sure how to rate this or what to think about it. It was interesting but also left so much unanswered. I like endings that aren’t perfectly wrapped up, that leave some questions, but this one barely even attempted to answer anything. But that’s also not entirely a negative either.
We got a glimpse into an individual’s finite eternity (you’ll know what I mean if you read the book) and it was both really interesting as well as entirely frustrating. It was neat to see the variety of things people were doing in that existence and I can’t say I was surprised what the author came up with, both the positive and the negative. Human nature always seems to come to similar conclusions in experiences like that.
I really enjoyed the writing itself. It felt very smooth and was easy to get lost in. My favorite kind of writing is the one I don’t think about as I read, where I can just focus on the story itself completely. That’s what makes me want to read more from this author. Between this story feeling unique to me and the writing, I am very curious about more.
But there are also so many more things I wish I knew about this book. Was the demon at the start lying? Is everyone’s hell there this finite eternity where it’s almost impossible to complete their task? And more questions that would be too spoilery because I don’t think you should know more before going into this book.
As I’m writing this review, my feelings are beginning to settle for this book. I’m definitely glad I read it, I enjoyed the writing style, and the world creates was very neat, so it was an overall positive experience. The negative is just that I wanted so much more! Though I’m not sure whether getting more would’ve actually improved the book because would it be as memorable if all my questions would’ve been answered or is the not knowing what makes it stand out?
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