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Elsewhere was a wonderful surprise, not so much because it’s written by Gabrielle Zevin (author of one of my favourites for 2019, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry) but more so because this book fits into the Young Adult genre.

The story involves a teenager called Liz who is unfortunately the victim of a hit and run accident, after her death she finds herself in an alternative ‘world�� called Elsewhere. Here, the dead “live�� in a world where they go backwards (they get younger) in age and are eventually returned to Earth as a baby.

Weird right? But ignoring the fact this model of reincarnation doesn’t explain the rapid increase in World population growth - I seriously needed to park this issue �� Zevin described an interesting and often funny world. She also made me think about life and death, looking back, forward and that important skill of ‘enjoying the moment��.

It’s also a love story, not soppy in any way, but all the same it follows the normal, predictable path of most love stories. However, this didn’t detract from my enjoyment at all. The fact it is a Young Adult Fiction book gave this story a degree of lightness. Even though the themes are quite serious and heavy it was an effortless read �� but I did spend some considerable time thinking about the themes in this book after each sitting. I think I’ll do that for some days to come.

As with A.J. Fikry, Zevin’s characters are believable and relatable, I wanted them to do well. I also loved the fact dogs played such a key role in this book. Not sure if the author is a dog-lover, but I’ll take a dog story any day, I just wish I could speak Canine.

Overall, a pleasant story, well written and totally enjoyable.

3.5 wholesome stars