This slim volume contains a series of very short stories or musings about a variety of afterlives that range from the poignant and thoughtful through to the plain laugh-aloud funny. The first story in the collection, Sum, is a classic example of what the book offers. Eagleman proposes that in this version of the Afterlife, we get to experience everything that happened to us during our lives on Earth. The difference this time around, is that everything occurs in solid blocks of time. So you spend thirty years asleep; five months sitting reading on the toilet; two days lying; fifteen hours writing your signature... The list is a lot longer, but you get the idea. By the end, you are desperate for a break and dream that heaven is a place where you experience these monumental blocks in manageable slices. I don't normally give Spoilers during my reviews, but I've made an exception with this exceptional book so the elegance and wit of this short story can be fully appreciated. Besides, there are thirty-nine other tales to enjoy, so I haven't majorly diminished the reading experience in letting this little kitten out of the bag.
As with any anthology, some of the stories work better than others. Sum is one of the better ones - but it is by no means my favourite. A word of caution, though. It might be a very small book and you could easily whizz through it in one sitting. Don't. My advice is never to read more than two of these little stories at a time because to do so is to risk becoming inured to the sheer amazing leaps of imagination Eagleman is asking you to take.
I'm in two minds about the writing. While Eagleman hasn't wasted a single word in conveying his fantastic ideas in a very clear, matter of fact manner, I have a hunch that in places the application of a little purple prose might help his readers keep hold of the sheer enormity of the subject they are being asked to consider.
For me, it is when Eagleman allows the emotion to break through that these clever musings are elevated to real brilliance. The stand-out stories for me when this happens, are Egalitaire, Metamorphosis, Mirrors, Will-o'-the-Wisp and Apostasy. I hasten to add that the rest still provide plenty of brain fodder, surprise and interest, but these five also caught my soft spot...
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