I finally finished this book! It took over a month, but it wasn't because I wasn't into it. Things get crazy around here with the holidays and something has to be moved to the back burner, and that something was my reading. Never fear though, it is definitely back on the front burner!(See my last post about my new Christmas present.)
So this book was kind of strange for me. There were a lot of reference to Jewish traditions and practices that I knew absolutely nothing about! I have a hard enough time with Christian rituals, but I am totally lost when it comes to shiva and pretty much anything Jewish! I got through it though, and I have to say, that was really the only negative in this book for me, and it's not the author's fault. I blame it on my own disregard for most things religious.
The basic premise of the book deals with a character who dies unexpectantly, and is examining her life from the great beyond, or the "duration" as the book calls it. We get to see the last few years of her life leading up to her mysterious death, and then how her former life goes on without her. We see it through her eyes, as she watches from the duration. It's actually written brilliantly, I think!
The heroine, Molly, is such a likeable, everyday character. She has flaws, but she knows it. Her relationships were messy and difficult when she was alive, and she only (kind of) gets clarity once she is dead. Throughout the novel you are brought on a journey by the author to figure out how Molly died. It's almost as if the author wasn't sure how it was going to end until it did. The characters and supsense are so well created, that you could pin her death on any number of the people in her life!
Overall, I really liked this book. It moved well, and was written in a witty, light-hearted style that I enjoyed. It made me cry at the end too, which is almost always a good thing! It means the author has been successful in connecting you emotionally to the characters and the story, which Koslow definitely does!
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