Beforelife

Graham’s debut novel is a sometimes-troublesome fantasy action-comedy set in the afterlife—or, more specifically, “Detroit.” This is where Ian Brown wakes up, able to recall his wife, Penelope, their life together, and the moments leading up to his death. The problem is, no one believes Ian’s story, because they think he’s suffering from BD: beforelife delusion. Convinced the beforelife is real, Ian and a ragtag band of afterlife misfits—including a man named Rhinnick, who thinks he’s a character in a book, and several Napoleons—embark on a quest to unravel the mysteries of Detroit while eluding capture by a murderous Socrates, who believes Ian and his guide, Tonto, are dangerous to the afterlife’s existence. The plot moves along quickly, but the book is often too clever for its own good, employing footnotes, relentless quips, and fourth-wall-breaking addresses to excess. Its biggest flaw is its portrayal of women—specifically Tonto, the East Indian co-lead, who is gratuitously objectified throughout. Detroit itself is half-realized and surprisingly empty. Readers are left with a book in which the sense of humor is strained, the female characters are poorly realized, and the tone is uncomfortably juvenile. [em](Sept.) [/em]