4 posts tagged “death”
The story is actually two stories told in alternating chapters. The odd numbered chapters concern The City where the dead live mostly normal lives, running newspapers, eating hamburgers, and falling in love. Many residents of the city believe they only continue to exist as long as someone who remembers them is still alive.
The even numbered chapters relate the thrilling tale of Laura Byrd. Laura is the remaining member of an Antarctic research team that has been cut off from the rest of the world due to a killer virus known as "The Blinks." Her memories as she travels across the icy wasteland become entangled with the goings on of The City and we soon see the connection is stronger than first expected.
The philosophical ideas that Brockmeier puts forth in this book will linger in my own thoughts for days to come.
Roach is primarily a science writer. She reads the vast array of journals full of jargon and translates them into an understandable but not dumbed-down version for her books. The primary question of Spook is do we have a soul or spirit and if so where does it go when we die. What follows is an anecdotal look through history at science's attempts to discover the answer.
Some of the very early experiments are comical, as well are the commonly held beliefs of the period. The more modern experiments are intriguing and left me wanting to seek further answers on my own. Luckliy the book has an extensive bibliography.
The book's only downfall is Roach's sense of humor. Most of the jokes are confined to footnotes, but even those contained in the main text failed to inoke even a chuckle from this reader.
My opinion on the afterlife wasn't changed by this book, but I was infomed and entertained.
"This rememo is sent for home. It's personal, but they need to know."
"Rememo" -- Aha Shake Heartbreak --Kings of Leon
I last saw my Dad alive on December 3, 2006. Exactly one week later he died. Before that the last time I had actually seen him was the previous Christmas. He was a very different person by then. The cancer had erased most of the man I knew. He was bed bound, unable to stand. His voice was a hoarse rasp when he spoke, which was very little. His mind was fading too, his realities bled into each other.
Those are the images that appear in my mind first most mornings. Usually when I'm brushing my teeth. When I was home that last time my Dad would gargle each morning, and when I'm brushing my teeth I hear that sound.
Throughout my childhood Dad maintained control of the television remote (the "box" he always called it) whenever he was at home, and that tradition held until his death. He would call up the digital cable guide then his mind would slide backwards through time and the rest of us would be forced to stare at the listings until he found the present again. We laughed about it. Now if I'm on the couch watching TV my own mind slips backwards to those moments.
I think this is what haunting is.
I'm fine with that.
The interview segment was short and peppered with jokes, but Chopra maintained a sensible, intriguing and likable presence. One thing he said that I took to bed with me, and heard in my mind all day was "The wisdom of age, and the biology of youth." I love the ideas behind that sentence, and can't wait to read more like it.
