Elsewhere

From the acclaimed author of Sunday Times no. 1 bestseller Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, a YA novel of hope, love and redemption about Liz’s life after life.

ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE’S 100 BEST YA BOOKS OF ALL TIME

Welcome to Elsewhere. It is warm, with a breeze, and the beaches are beautiful. It’s quiet and peaceful. You can’t get sick and you can’t get older. In Elsewhere, death is only the beginning …

Elsewhere is where fifteen-year-old Liz Hall ends up, after she is killed in a hit-and-run accident. It is a place very like Earth, yet completely different. Here Liz will age backwards from the day of her death until she becomes a baby again and returns to Earth. But Liz wants to turn sixteen, not fourteen again. She wants to get her driving licence. She wants to graduate from high school and go to college. She doesn’t want to get to know a grandmother she’s never met before and have to make all-new friends.

How can Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and embrace a new one? Or is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different from a life lived forward?

\”Every so often a book comes along with a premise so fresh and arresting it seems to exist in a category all its own. Elsewhere is such a book\” – New York Times Book Review

\”A work of powerful beauty. This inventive novel slices right to the bone of human yearning, offering up an indelible vision of life and death as equally rich sides of the same coin.\” — Booklist, Starred Review

\”With an intriguing and well-developed premise, thoughtful characterization, and refreshing style, Zevin’s poignant novel rewards readers with a view of death that celebrates the rich complexities of being alive.\” — The Horn Book, Starred Review

\”Intriguing. Surely guides readers through the bumpy landscape of strongly delineated characters dealing with the most difficult issue that faces all of us. Provides much to think about and discuss.\” — School Library Journal, Starred Review

\”Zevin’s touch is marvelously light even as she considers profundities, easily moving among humor, wisdom and lyricism. . . . No plot synopsis can convey what a rich, wise spell this book casts.\” — The New York Times Book Review

\” Elsewhere is a funny, fast-paced, and fascinating novel. The concept is completely out there and yet the emotions are so weirdly realistic. I loved reading the story of Liz’s life (death?).\” — Carolyn Mackler, author of The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things and Vegan Virgin Valentine

\”An unusual premise and a thoughtful treatment make Zevin’s first effort at writing for young adults a success. Will captivate teens ready for a thought-provoking read. Hopeful and engaging.\” — Kirkus Reviews

\”Funny and pensive, happy and heartbreaking. Readers from a broad range of beliefs will find this a quirky and touching exploration of the Great Beyond.\” — The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

\”Fascinating. Zevin, in her first novel for young people, bends the laws of physics and biology to create an intricately imagined world.\” — Publishers Weekly

Format: Paperback
Pages: 288
Imprint: Bloomsbury YA
Publication date: 03/04/2024