Brief Description
From the author of the widely praised "The Truth About Celia" comes a mesmerizing new work that imagines the world of the afterlife and its stark relation to the world of the living.
Learn More about the Book
From Kevin Brockmeier, one of this generation's most inventive young writers, comes a striking new novel about death, life, and the mysterious place in between. The City is inhabited by those who have departed Earth but are still remembered by the living. They will reside in this afterlife until they are completely forgotten. But the City is shrinking, and the residents clearing out. Some of the holdouts, like Luka Sims, who produces the City s only newspaper, are wondering what exactly is going on. Others, like Coleman Kinzler, believe it is the beginning of the end. Meanwhile, Laura Byrd is trapped in an Antarctic research station, her supplies are running low, her radio finds only static, and the power is failing. With little choice, Laura sets out across the ice to look for help, but time is running out. Kevin Brockmeier alternates these two storylines to create a lyrical and haunting story about love, loss and the power of memory."
Review Quotes
1. ""The Brief History of the Dead is a brilliant high-wire act, at turns terrifying, wise, and humane. Kevin Brockmeier builds an intricate labyrinth, then guides us through with wit and aplomb."
-Colson Whitehead, author of "The Colossus of New York
"Kevin Brockmeier's "The Brief History of the Dead is moving and disquieting, a 'futuristic' novel that is really an elegy for how we live now."
-Kevin Baker, author of "Paradise Alley
2. ""The Brief History of the Dead" is a brilliant high-wire act, at turns terrifying, wise, and humane. Kevin Brockmeier builds an intricate labyrinth, then guides us through with wit and aplomb."
-Colson Whitehead, author of "The Colossus of New York"
"Kevin Brockmeier's "The Brief History of the Dead" is moving and disquieting, a 'futuristic' novel that is really an elegy for how we live now."
-Kevin Baker, author of "Paradise Alley"
"From the Hardcover edition."
3. " Thrilling. . . . Inventive. . . . Deftly told. . . . Brockmeier does a wonderful job of conjuring up the dead." - "The Washington Post Book World"
" Brilliant. . . . Brockmeier's characters are wonderful, and his images are dazzling."
- "Detroit Free Press"
" Extraordinary. . . . Breathtaking. . . . A gracefully written story that blends fantasy, philosophical speculation, adventure and crystalline moments of compassion." - "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"
" Striking. . . . Brave. . . . Deliciously disquieting. . . . "The Brief History of the Dead" will stay alive in the memories of readers for years to come." - "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution"
4. "Thrilling. . . . Inventive. . . . Deftly told. . . . Brockmeier does a wonderful job of conjuring up the dead." -"The Washington Post Book World" "Brilliant. . . . Brockmeier's characters are wonderful, and his images are dazzling."-"Detroit Free Press""Extraordinary. . . . Breathtaking. . . . A gracefully written story that blends fantasy, philosophical speculation, adventure and crystalline moments of compassion."-"Milwaukee Journal Sentinel""Striking. . . . Brave. . . . Deliciously disquieting. . . . "The Brief History of the Dead" will stay alive in the memories of readers for years to come."-"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution"
5. Thrilling. . . . Inventive. . . . Deftly told. . . . Brockmeier does a wonderful job of conjuring up the dead. The Washington Post Book World Brilliant. . . . Brockmeier s characters are wonderful, and his images are dazzling. Detroit Free Press Extraordinary. . . . Breathtaking. . . . A gracefully written story that blends fantasy, philosophical speculation, adventure and crystalline moments of compassion. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Striking. . . . Brave. . . . Deliciously disquieting. . . . The Brief History of the Dead will stay alive in the memories of readers for years to come. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution"
