As I read The Brief History of the Dead I found myself consistently twisting between the position of loving and disliking this book. Now that I’ve finished it, I’m perhaps more confused than I was while I was reading it, but I can’t seem to get my mind off some of these ideas, which can only mean that Kevin Brockmeier was doing something right.
To start with, the premise is almost perfect. Half of the book takes place in the world of the living, where we slowly discover that there is only one person left living after a plague has cleaned the planet of it’s human occupants. The other half takes place in the city of the dead, where the inhabitants become convinced that this is a sort of way-station, and they are kept there while someone on earth who actually knew them is still alive.
Title: The Brief History of the Dead : A novel
Author: Kevin Brockmeier
LC Rating:
The last human living was a member of an Antarctic expedition, trying to come to terms with her isolation as she understands that she may well be the last person alive. The inhabitants of the city of the dead include her parents, friends and associates, and everyone else who came into anything other than fleeting contact with her when they were alive.
The points where I found myself disliking The Brief History of the Dead were primarily focused on points where the characters came to revelations that I thought perhaps poorly constructed, but on the whole the book does sing; if for no other reason than offering up clear images of people as we really are, and the multitude of different ways in which we are connected. If anything, I think it should have been a longer book and spent more time digging into the fascinating bonds between people who have come to dramatic reappraisals of their life after they have lost it. That said, what is presented here is rich in interesting concepts and images that make it worth the time spent reading.
April 28th, 2006 at 2:39 pm
Why haven’t I heard of this guy? He’s got such a cool last name…