"A Brief History of the Dead"

In this futuristic, apocalyptic tale, Kevin Brockmeier tells the story of The City, a place where all recently dead now reside. A great pandemic has wiped out most of Earth's inhabitants. It is quite possible that Laura Byrd, while on an expedition in Antarctica, could be the only survivor on Earth. As Laura strives to survive and find other survivors, she keeps herself going by free-associating and remembering all those people who have touched her life.

In The City, the inhabitants begin to suspect that their very existence is Laura remembering them. Once the last person remembering a City inhabitant dies, then the City inhabitant, too, ceases to exist.

The premise of this story is intriguing and has so much potential. I felt that the character development could have been so much more -- I wanted to know the inhabitants. I also felt that he had to wrap up the story too quickly. All in all, I enjoyed the book and it sparked some linguring thought and contemplation. I will recommend this book to our readers -- I think our students will like it and find the story quite unique.

How many people have touched your life? One hundred? Five thousand? More? Do they still live in your memory?