Another novel about life and death, Thomas Pierce's The Afterlives (#720) is peculiar, but in a much more interesting way than The Immortalists. Jim Byrd, aged thirty, has suffered an electrical failure of his heart. In fact, for five minutes, he was clinically dead. So why didn't he see the bright lights or tunnel, or loved ones that others with Near Death experiences claim to have had? Is there, in fact, an afterlife? And if so, what is it like? Jim spends the rest of his life looking for answers, much like the rest of us. I don't know that all of us would go quite as far in exploring the issue as Jim does, but it makes for interesting reading.
Ghosts blend with a physicist's experiments with time and matter, and an unconventional church in Jim's Blue Ridge hometown. His family and girlfriend are caught up in his search for meaning as well. I found this cast of characters much more likeable and relatable than the sorry members of The Immortalists 's Gold clan. The Afterlives doesn't answer any of the great questions of our day, but it's an enjoyable ride.
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