ISBN: 0-88739-261-X
260 pp.
Size: 6 x 9
Pub Date: 10/2000
Paperback Original
Price: $14.95
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Leaving This Life Behind
Howard Levine
Leaving This Life Behind explores the existence of the afterlife and the complicated, tenuous connections between the deceased and the living. The story is narrated, in alternating chapters, by Sharon Galdoni and her husband Paul. Sharon dies in a car crash in the first chapter and describes her new "improved" life in the hereafter. The improvement comes at a cost, a lingering grief over her separation from her three-year-old son Kenny. Sharon's self-absorbed husband Paul isn't attending adequately to the boy's upbringing. Kenny's nursery school teacher, Cheryl, responds to the boy's need for nurturing and tutors him. An affair ensues between Paul and Cheryl, a relationship that creates additional strain between Paul and his bereaved mother- and sister-in-law. Conflict with the in-laws over Kenny's rearing and the child's near-fatal poisoning lead to the novel's unexpectedly joyous conclusion.
Review: "Leaving this Life Behind challenges most people's concept of the cycle of life. The intertwining of spirituality in the physical world is both the plot and the point of the book. The author has managed to integrate spirituality into a novel that will appeal even to readers with little spiritual inclination...a wonderful, uplifting book and well worth reading."
-Ellen Finklestein, The Fairfield Weekly Reader
"Leaving This Life Behind is a gripping family drama which extends beyond the boundaries of life and death. The characters make peace with their pasts, in fascinating ways they never expected. This book is a gift to your soul."
-Harold H. Bloomfield, M.D., author of Making Peace With Your Past
"Leaving This Life Behind provides an intriguing, engaging look at the eternal question: 'Why am I here?' The novel is definitely for anyone who has ever considered the meaning of life, or the apparent meaninglessness of death."
-Verenda Smith, Gannett News Service
"Leaving This Life Behind introduces a fascinating new voice to the fantasy genre. Howard Levine is a stylist, a metaphysician, and a storyteller who draws you into his world and doesn't let go until he's taught you a few things. A real pleasure to read."
-Jamil Nasir, author of Distance Haze and Tower of Dreams
Bio: HOWARD LEVINE grew up in the Bronx. He has a Masters in Special Education and a BA in English [Writing]. Levine now lives in Washington, DC with his wife and children.
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