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Ibsen poignantly relates a series of vignettes of individuals ranging from idealists to dogs confronting life-endings, asking why, and forming new perceptions of experiences in other dimensions as they accept, integrate, and journey off onto various new beginnings. She hopes that this stunning and moving compilation "will lead to more enjoyment of here, a new conscious awareness of the hereafter, and new understandings about the connections between them" since she believes that those interconnections make life fascinating.
Poetry, psalms, and photographs deepen readers' engagement with the beings whose stories she tells as the narrative unfolds. For example, readers visit ceremonies and receptions in mundane places and fellowship halls. They learn about inheritances, handmade coffins, and belly dancing and hear songs and prayers. They also meet contrasting personalities, such as Methodist ministers, family members, gambling friends, and twelve steppers. And, in keeping with what all must one day face, they witness the inevitable gathering at bedsides and moments of passing.
The author's intimate portraits are well done, skillfully conveying the deep feeling and eternal impact of the people about whom she writes. For example, she describes how Charlotte, "like a baby chick, lay patiently in a hand-carved wooden egg—about to hatch, about to continue her healing work, newborn, in another place, in another way." The dialogue is incisive and will likely help many who, as a result of being in shock, go through the loss of loved ones in a blur. In this regard, her book can function like a grief self-help group for those without the time or inclination to go.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review