Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives

That David Eagleman thinks quite deeply, is profoundly evident in this little book of forty descriptions of the afterlife. These are all only about 400 words, but are densely described with eloquence and feeling. Many are humorous and made me think about the possibilities of the afterlife being a big joke on humans. There is the afterlife where you stay in a kind of purgatory till your name is uttered for the last time by the living. There is one, where God and all the angels are microbes that exist on our bodies. In a couple God is overwhelmed and takes a break. There are afterlives that stress a connection with the living and others where time is manipulated. I can’t really say which is my favorite because each of the forty afterlives are carefully designed with all the possible implications thought through. Many sound good at first, but become a hell for some or all of the residents. There is a definite “be careful what you wish for” aspect to many of the afterlives that got me thinking about unintended consequences in any existence we fabricate. The level of creativity that Eagleman brings to this work is marvelous. Each of the described afterlives got me thinking about various aspects of my present life experience. The book as a whole drives home the often overlooked truth that, even if we believe in an afterlife, we have no idea what it will be. Finally, these treatments make me think of one of my favorite authors, Dante. Dante described Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven in extraordinarily rich detail. Furthermore, he used his descriptions as social commentary on the church and the politics of the late 1200’s. Eagleman, I think, is subtly making a statement about our assumptions about the afterlife and puts forth the possibility that both life and afterlife are a big joke at our expense. This is a fun read!