The Brief History of the Dead: A novel
by Kevin Brockmeier
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Book Summary Information
Author: Kevin BrockmeierEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-02-14
ISBN: 0375423699
Number of pages: 252
Publisher: Pantheon
Book Reviews of The Brief History of the Dead: A novel
Book Review: A Brief history of a dull novel
Summary: 2 Stars
"A Brief History of the Dead" is a total and complete letdown. While reading chapter 1, I thought I was in for a page turner. But the book goes absolutely NOWHERE. I barely finished it. After a decent beginning, the latter 3/4 of the book is absolute drudgery. The book fails to create and/or sustain suspense after the first couple chapters, makes mostly mundane observations about human psychology, and presents an incomplete and totally unconvincing version of heaven, hell or purgatory, or wherever it is, exactly, that these dull characters are stuck.The novel fails on all levels:
1) Suspense and excitement - nothing builds; no interesting revelations
2) Psychology - Laura is just NOT an interesting character. We don't learn much about her, anyway. Just bland observation after bland observation.
3) Description of afterlife - A great premise (a city of the dead, held togther by memories of the living) goes nowhere. The book ends, unbelievably, with the reader learning NOTHING more at all about the city then is revealed in the first chapters.
4) Satire - contrived, forced, uninspired and somewhat juvenile attempts to satire Coca-Cola.
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