Earthly Pleasures
Karen Neches
Reviewed by Araminta Matthews
At first glance, this story reminded me intensely of the film Defending
Your Life, in which Meryl Streep and Albert Brooks meet and fall in
love with one another postmortem in Heaven. The film
conceptualized many similar ideas: Heaven is like a depot where
departed souls arrive and sometimes even depart back to Earth, and
where every departed soul has a "job". But, after I got into the
story, I realized it really has a unique twist on romance.
Sky Sebring, the main character is a "hospitality greeter inside the
pearly gates of Heaven". Working out of a cubicle in the
"Hospitality Section of Heaven", Skye is reminiscent of a very pleasant
Bureau of Motor Vehicles receptionist. She shuffles papers, she
files names, and she smiles through the sometimes "long" process of
integrating newly departed souls into Heaven. Unlike many
of her coworkers in the Heaven-styled DMV, Sky doesn't have the
slightest inkling to visit Earth. -- and if this isn't a set-up for
conflict, I am not sure what is.
Skye's Heaven is turned upside-down when she meets Ryan Blaine.
Ryan is the son of a former U.S. president and certainly has similar
charisma. A classic dazzler, Ryan is immediately flattering and
flirtatious with the Skye. Skye, who is normally content with the
mundane, is immediately overcome with Ryan; but, Ryan is only passing
through and must return to Earth to live out the remainder of his
life. For the first time, Skye is inspired to return to Earth and
she follows him there. The punchline? Ryan is married and
so begins a very bizarre love triangle.
While this story is not the most original tale, while this story does
not contain the most unique setting, and while this story does not
characterize the most believable individuals, the writing really is
well-executed. I find my favorite authors have a way of linking
characters to one another with subterfuge. What begins as a set
of seemingly random events unfolds to demonstrate a cosmic connection
between every moment of seeming chaos. Karen Neches executes this
woven connection vividly and with skill. Just when I thought the
story was just another pulpy romance, some wonderful "life lessons"
unveiled themselves through the connection of these random
characters: Ryan, his flightly wife, Susan, and quirky and
traditional Skye. It was a light, fast read that quite pleasantly
took my mind off the rest of the world for a while. And really,
what more can we ask of a book?