Lately, it seems that I have been doing a lot of reading, and watching of movies. Yesterday, I reviewed a movie, today it is two books that I have read over the last week or so. Both of the books seems to have an affect on me.
The first book is by a gay author, Andrew Hollerman and is named simply Grief. His homosexuality fiqures in but only as a side line to what is really a novel about sorrow. The protagonist has lost his mother, and moves to Washington DC for a while. The stated reason is to teach a class for a friend but in addition, there are signs that he is hoping to "drown" his sorrow and guilt over his mother's death. He returns home, and the grief is still there with him. I found the book a bit unsettling perhaps because I was hoping that somehow there was a magic formula that would allow me to get over my own very real grief over several occurances over the last year. It seems that in both the book and in the outside world, there is the hope that somehow we will "get over it". In reality, we dont really get over it so much as learn to live with it--the grief. The book served as a poignant reminder that even thought a certain period, in my case a year, has elapsed doesnt mean that suddenly the pain is gone. I recommend this book for anyone that wants to learn about grief, likes a good story, or is dealing with their own grief..might just be cathartic.
The other book is The Five People You Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albom, who also wrote Tuesdays with Morrie. I found the book to be rather elementary. The general story is about a guy dying and going to heaven and meeting 5 people that he had had an impact on while alive. Especially in face of the fact that this book was on the Oprah Winfrey book list, I was sorely disappointed. The concept was a good one, however, I was actually glad that it was only 196 pages of very easy reading. I had hoped for a more interesting book, one that I would be happy to read 300-400 pages, but such was not the case with this one.
I dont recommend this book, unless the concept is new to you and you want a very quick read. Neither of the books is what could be called "escapism", however, Grief, while being disturbing, was thought provoking. With Five People, I was left thinking "is that all there is?" I encourage other viewpoints and would appreciate any comments.
