Here Lies
Ratings2
Average rating3.5
"Louisiana, 2042. Spurred by the effects of climate change, states have closed graveyards and banned burials, making cremation mandatory and the ashes of loved ones state-owned unless otherwise claimed. In the small town of St. Genevieve, Alma lives alone and struggles to grieve in the wake of her young mother Naomi's death, during which Alma failed to honor Naomi's final wishes. Now, Alma decides to fight to reclaim Naomi's ashes, a journey of unburial that will bring into her life a mysterious and fiercely loyal stranger, Bordelon, who appears in St. Genevieve after a storm, as well as a group of strong, rebellious local women who, together, teach Alma anew the meaning of family and strength. With poignance, poeticism, and deep insight, in Here Lies Olivia Clare Friedman gives us a stunning portrait of motherhood, friendship, and humanity in an alternate American South torn asunder by global warming. This is a stunning first novel from a unique and inventive writer"--
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I'm having a hard time with this review for two reasons: one, it strongly reminds me of something I read a few years back but I can't remember what it is and I've held off for long enough (I'll update if I recall!). Two, and more importantly, while I liked this book, it didn't feel entirely finished to me. I'll echo other reviewers when I say key plot points seemed not as fleshed-out as they could have been (to the best of my understanding, burials are prohibited because land is in such short supply and maybe because natural disasters could unearth bodies - but I'm less confident in that than I'd like to be). That said, we're hearing from a grieving narrator in a drained, climate-changed world where very little feels within her (or anybody's) control, so maybe this lack of clarity is appropriate. And despite my not fully understanding why burials are so aggressively banned, I completely bought Alma's single-mindedness in her quest to obtain her mother's ashes. I guess I just wanted to go a little deeper - this was a very factual, here-and-now novel - but I can understand why it was written that way.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this even if at times it seemed to drag on. This book is a beautiful exploration of the different forms of grief and and friendship and the end had me in tears.
