'Reincarnation Blues'

Yes, I know.  It's been a year since my last post, but I won't apologize.  Nope.  I needed a 'mental health' year; a.k.a. Iwaslazyandmycomputersucked.

But I'm back, and I'm opening with a book I've read and really liked.  I've been reading so many books that came highly recommended, as was this one, and I really didn't like some of them.  However, I found a few that grabbed me.

'Reservation Blues' was one of them.

Milo has lived thousands of lives, and he's closing in on the last few he's allowed to have. But the only thing he really wants is to spend time (and a life) with his lover, Suzie. But in order to become part of the 'Oversoul', he has to reincarnate until he achieves perfection. He wins, he loses, he comes back as a bug (a few times), a total asshole, and a total genius. He was a family man, a total jerk, and a farmer. But he's a man in love, and he searches for her time and again. During his various journeys, he learns the pieces to the cosmic puzzle and gains experiences that propel him into a future that might not be so bad.  And lonely.

What really grabbed me from the first was Poore's style (which is reminiscent of Douglas Adams and Kurt Vonnegut).  It was total 'smooth sailing', which in my lingo means I didn't try to mentally rewrite the story.  

Although this novel carries serious undertones, it is amazingly humorous, and full of spirited dialogue.  His characters are so well-developed that you wish you had them as personal friends (well, maybe a few of them).  Some of the chapters about his various lives are like little short stories; some are utterly sad, some are utterly devastating, and one in particular is the sum total of almost everything he's learned.

I have spent a major portion of my time wondering where I'll go after I die, and although there are no 'real' answers, this story came pretty close to what I've imagined.  Perhaps that's why I love this story so much.

But I'm hoping I don't have to live thousands of lives just to get to where I need to be.

'Reincarnation Blues', published by Del Ray, is available at your favorite bookstore and your local library.  ISBN 978-0-399-17848-1