Hmm.. how do I describe what I think about this novel?
First of all.. I have fair amount of doubt with there being an afterlife. So, I thought this novel was basically a pamphlet for making people feel better who have lost someone. It seems it has been helpful in that area, but to me this felt like a condescending piece of literature doing what religion has done for ages.
It basically tells you, afterlife is what you make it. So, whatever your say, you can never go wrong, because it's all subjective.
It's a cheap way and it's abhorring to notice people who think he made sense. Believe what you want, but stop thinking that someone else has the answer when you've got doubts. It's all in one's mind and when you need proof, you ain't a believer.
Back to the story.
It centers around a guy, Chris, killed in a car accident, leaving his wife and four grown children. His spirit sticks around and feels terribly bad for leaving his wife, who seems to be a nervous wreck, and eventually kills herself.
Before Chris founds out, he remains to feel uneasy about not helping his wife. When he's told what she did, he moved heaven and earth to try and help her, which he ultimately kind of does. You'd think this was a romantic love story reading my short summary, but to me it seemed far from it, not to the author's intent, it's probably just the curse of that day and age.
Chris feels like a very dominant male who doesn't seem to think his wife is capable of surviving without his strong male presence. When she proves him right, he plunges in deep to save her. To me, it seems like she's someone who has been living under the influence of severe dominance, maybe not from her husband but some kind of childhood trauma has occurred into which isn't dug deeper, which might take the protectionism of Chris to a dangerous level, whereas she seems to forego life because he isn't in it anymore. The fact the Matheson sells this as them being soul mates, is even more horrific. Basically, you're a cold-hearted bitch if you can picture a life without the one you loved and lost.
Ultimately when Chris saves Ann from the world she imprisoned herself in after she has committed suicide, she chooses not to stay with him but be immediately reborn. Seems like she trying to get from underneath his controlling love and starting all over again, but it seems he's intent of following her none the less. Stalker much. My first thought was actually that he just needed to back off and give her time to grow and strengthen herself, instead of swooping in and taking care of her. Which is actually what he is going to do, he sets himself up to be a doctor, since she will have a sleep deprivation affliction.
The novel itself doesn't feel consistent in its manner to portray the romance between Chris and Ann. When Chris enters Summerland or heaven as we like to call it, he's been told that Ann will join him eventually and he even gets a date when she will do so.
Her suicide simply means that she has to spend the time remaining to her planned death, in a kind of purgatory.
When Chris gets her out of there, she chooses to leave Summerland immediately and go back to earth, being born again. Which isn't an option discussed in the beginning. It simply feels like one arrives here, without the risk of one of them deciding to go back to earth.
So.. if summerland is all in one's mind. Why couldn't Chris just envisage his wife there? And why is so certain that his wife would join him. Maybe if she hadn't been intent on killing herself, she might have met someone else and chosen to be with him, leaving Chris wretched and alone.
So, would the meaning of Summerland not be more accurate, if anyone got the afterlife he wanted WITH the people they loved, instead of playing the waiting game and still be disappointed. Doesn't same like heaven to me, more like a kind of laidback earth filled with its insecurities and doubts.
