Ngela itibaren Ozerki, Saratovskaya oblast', Rusya
"The Great Divorce" is a fast-paced (and fairly short) novel, but I found myself re-reading paragraphs and going over sections again because there was so much going on. A lot of very clever writing, particularly in the dialogues between the Ghosts and the Bright Ones. The way it is explained by one of the spirits is that the damned are given occasional vacations. Most take trips back to Earth, visiting mediums or trying to take up residence in their old homes, but a few get on a bus from Hell and float up to Heaven to check it out, although almost none of them stay. The book starts with the narrator getting on the bus in Hell and getting off somewhere towards the "bottom" of Heaven, and the remaining hundred or so pages consist mostly of conversations between various Ghosts (from Hell) and Bright Ones (spirits in Heaven).
At first I thought this was a strange, silly book, dealing with dreams and an angry little boy. However, as I neared the end (and it was such a quick read), I felt I'd like to read it to my own children. It's imaginative and explores love and darkness, particularly in the healing of an abused mother and son. I love that the little dream-giver received her name (which is another important theme that Lois Lowry rights about) Gossamer. What a lovely word!