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The Things We Learn When We're Dead
The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is about how small decisions can have profound and unintended consequences, but how we can sometimes get a second chance.
On the way home from a dinner party, Lorna Love steps into the path of an oncoming car. When she wakes up she is in what appears to be a hospital � but a hospital in which her nurse looks like a young Sean Connery, she is served wine for supper, and everyone avoids her questions.
It soon transpires that she is in Heaven, or on HVN, because HVN is a lost, dysfunctional spaceship, and God the aging hippy captain. She seems to be there by accident� or does God have a higher purpose after all?
Despite that, The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is neither sci-fi nor fantasy. It is a book about memory and how, if we could remember things slightly differently, would we also be changed?
In HVN, Lorna can at first remember nothing. But as her memories return � some good, some bad � she realises that she has decisions to make and that, maybe, she can find a way back home.
On the way home from a dinner party, Lorna Love steps into the path of an oncoming car. When she wakes up she is in what appears to be a hospital � but a hospital in which her nurse looks like a young Sean Connery, she is served wine for supper, and everyone avoids her questions.
It soon transpires that she is in Heaven, or on HVN, because HVN is a lost, dysfunctional spaceship, and God the aging hippy captain. She seems to be there by accident� or does God have a higher purpose after all?
Despite that, The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is neither sci-fi nor fantasy. It is a book about memory and how, if we could remember things slightly differently, would we also be changed?
In HVN, Lorna can at first remember nothing. But as her memories return � some good, some bad � she realises that she has decisions to make and that, maybe, she can find a way back home.
409 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 26, 2017
71 people are currently reading
3,230 people want to read
About the author
Charlie Laidlaw
7Ìýbooks19ÌýfollowersI was born in Paisley, central Scotland, which wasn’t my fault. That week, Eddie Calvert with Norrie Paramor and his Orchestra were Top of the Pops, with Oh, Mein Papa, as sung by a young German woman remembering her once-famous clown father. That gives a clue to my age, not my musical taste.
I was brought up in the west of Scotland (quite near Paisley, but thankfully not too close) and graduated from the University of Edinburgh. I still have the scroll, but it’s in Latin, so it could say anything.
I then worked briefly as a street actor, baby photographer, puppeteer and restaurant dogsbody before becoming a journalist. I started in Glasgow and ended up in London, covering news, features and politics. I interviewed motorbike ace Barry Sheene, Noel Edmonds threatened me with legal action and, because of a bureaucratic muddle, I was ordered out of Greece.
I then took a year to travel round the world, visiting 19 countries. Highlights included being threatened by a man with a gun in Dubai, being given an armed bodyguard by the PLO in Beirut (not the same person with a gun), and visiting Robert Louis Stevenson’s grave in Samoa. What I did for the rest of the year I can’t quite remember.
Surprisingly, I was approached by a government agency to work in intelligence, which just shows how shoddy government recruitment was back then. However, it turned out to be very boring and I don’t like vodka martini.
Craving excitement and adventure, I ended up as a PR consultant, which is the fate of all journalists who haven’t won a Pulitzer Prize, and I’ve still to listen to Oh, Mein Papa.
I am married with two grown-up children and live in East Lothian.
I was brought up in the west of Scotland (quite near Paisley, but thankfully not too close) and graduated from the University of Edinburgh. I still have the scroll, but it’s in Latin, so it could say anything.
I then worked briefly as a street actor, baby photographer, puppeteer and restaurant dogsbody before becoming a journalist. I started in Glasgow and ended up in London, covering news, features and politics. I interviewed motorbike ace Barry Sheene, Noel Edmonds threatened me with legal action and, because of a bureaucratic muddle, I was ordered out of Greece.
I then took a year to travel round the world, visiting 19 countries. Highlights included being threatened by a man with a gun in Dubai, being given an armed bodyguard by the PLO in Beirut (not the same person with a gun), and visiting Robert Louis Stevenson’s grave in Samoa. What I did for the rest of the year I can’t quite remember.
Surprisingly, I was approached by a government agency to work in intelligence, which just shows how shoddy government recruitment was back then. However, it turned out to be very boring and I don’t like vodka martini.
Craving excitement and adventure, I ended up as a PR consultant, which is the fate of all journalists who haven’t won a Pulitzer Prize, and I’ve still to listen to Oh, Mein Papa.
I am married with two grown-up children and live in East Lothian.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
December 9, 2020
After years, and years, Lorna is finally on the cusp of being a lawyer, she's finally made all the right connections to secure her job and she's finally, finally 'made it' in the world.
'Trinity, can I see God?'
Regrettably, Lorna, God is in a meeting.
But all that changes in an instant.
On her way home from a boring (if important) dinner party, somehow she steps in front of a moving car by accident (or possibly on purpose?).
'I'm not dead,' she declared loudly. 'How the hell can I be dead?'Lorna wakes up (reanimates?) in the most bizarre of places...
...'But it does make a curious kind of sense, doesn't it?' Irene said softly.
On the side of the structure, painted in lustrous gold letters twenty storeys high, were three letters. HVN.HVN is a dsyfunctional spaceship, lead by the captain (God), robotic assistant (Trinity), etc.
This situation is extremely puzzling to her, but she's (mostly) grateful for this new lease on life.
Despite having little to no memories, she stumbles through HVN, determined to get back home...and yet, perhaps God has other plans for her?
So.
Soooooo.
Soooooooooooooo.
Essentially, it fell a bit flat for me.
Most of the book consisted of either A) flashbacks of Lorna's life or B) Lorna (in current time) wondering why she was in HVN and the purpose of her resurrection.
The Flashbacks
The flashbacks chronicle Lorna's human life, from the death of a close family member to the rejection of her first boyfriend.
I think she was supposed to use the flashbacks to figure out what she could do differently if she was able to go back, but that wasn't completely clear (so this is just speculation on my part).
And, the one part that was circled over and over was how she rejected her first boyfriend, Austin.
'He says he's in love with you.'It seemed like the book was angling for them to always have been together, but honestly, if Austin was the one dead, I would instantly be like, That's what you need to redo! You stalked and pined over Lorna for years. You harassed her for sleeping with your best friend - despite you two not being together for years - and guilt-tripped her constantly.
'He only thinks that, Leo. He can't possible be in love with me because we haven't seen each other in years.'
Essentially the flashbacks covered a rather ordinary life, abet tinged with sorrow, but ultimately weren't particularly gripping for me.
The alien aspect and the way human history was influenced - all extremely interesting. Which made the flashbacks just draaaag for me.
The Current Day
When Lorna enters HVN, she also enters a vastly different world.
God and his spaceship were stranded close earth. They don't really have anything to do, so they watched Earth.
God, in particular, takes a liking to humans and he intervenes from time-to-time. As time goes on, more and more of his crew leave the spaceship to trade idyllic boredom for real life.
'I'm not a bad God,' said God and stroked his beard. 'But I am realist. For ever great scientific advance on Earth, I lose a member of crew.'Which is (in and of itself) interesting - but all that information was a chore to figure out.
Mostly because it took so. gosh. darn. long. to. get. there.
The entire second perspective circled around how A) Lorna didn't know anything and B) she needed to wait for her memories to come back.
I understand that the (ordinary) flashbacks must have been the main point of this novel, but when you are switching between the two perspectives, there has to be some progress in the second perspective. (Especially when the second perspective is vastly more exciting than the first.)
Don't believe me?
At 7% of the book.
'Look,' she said in a lower tone, catching her breath, 'Why can't you answer me?I just need to know what's going on.'At 21%:
'I have granted you an afterlife, Lorna, and for now let's leave it at that. It might not make any sense at the moment but it will.At 61%
'Memory integration is a bit bore,' he continued, 'but it's a process that can't be speeded up.'At 88%:
'And I still don't know why I'm here,' she said.It's just like...come on. Make some progress. Please. I'm begging you.
Overall
I did enjoy the book - well-written with a memorable main character. The quirky-ness of heaven made the book shine - in particular, I loved how HVN was infested with hamsters (one of God's failed inventions, along with the kangaroo.)
It brought a spontaneity to the book (though, I honestly would have wanted God to be responsible for all the crazy Earth creatures - the platypus, the echidna, the red panda, all the weird one-offs).
I also really enjoyed the way the author created this world, it's sacrilegious (of course) but it's definitely creative. It was fun to pick apart all the connections he made and piece together his world.
(Also, am I the only one? )
And, I really, really enjoyed God's perspective on life.
'The world, Lorna, isn't full of little people and big people. The world is just full of people...in my experience, mostly good people.'Laidlaw's latest book is wonderful in several aspects - his philosophy in life was unique and truly good, making this book memorable.
In all the miracles that had been revealed to her, it was the small things that were the most impressive.With thanks to the author for a free copy in exchange for a honest review
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March 7, 2018
Book Reviewed by Julie on
‘The Things We Learn When We’re Dead� is the second novel by Scottish author, Charlie Laidlaw. It is an unusual offbeat contemporary fantasy adventure, thankfully without a dragon and demon in sight. The cartoony feel of the cover sets the tone for the tale and the reader knows this book isn’t taking itself too seriously.
The beginning of the story held a lot of promise and I was very keen to read on. The main character, Lorna, has a lot to contend with. Accepting she is dead but still apparently sentient and physically unscathed after her fatal accident, inevitably presents all sorts of emotional challenges along with re-evaluation and soul-searching. She has to come to terms with being a ‘temporal anomaly�.
However, the book then became a bit more of a challenge. There were a lot of flashback and dream sequences as Lorna’s memory gradually returned as part of her regeneration; this was clearly relevant to the overall story but rather too long-winded. The author poses a couple of questions for the reader to mull over but several times I forgot these key elements of the plot, due to all the padding.
I also found Lorna’s choice of language a little incongruous at times. When she initially wakes, she believes herself to be in hospital; she would doubtless be disorientated and probably ask where she was and how long she had been there but would she really greet a total stranger with the words ‘Who the hell are you?�
Inevitably, basing a book in space leads to comparisons with ‘Star Trek�; doubtless to counter this, the author himself makes the connection, more than once.
Laidlaw is a talented wordsmith. His use of humour and irony is well-placed and he has created some colourful characters, in the form of Irene and God. The dynamic between these supporting players is intriguing. His creation concept is very clever and well thought out and I loved his explanation for some of the achievements of mankind. He also poses some awkward questions which certainly made me think � is eternity the ultimate goal and if it were a possibility, would I choose it?
The idea of the crew of HVN looking like famous people was an amusing distraction and thankfully, they were so famous, that even I had heard of them. I particularly enjoyed the backhanded swipe at the ex-Prime Minister a lot of us love to hate! That alone was almost worth a bonus star.
For me, this is a cake with too much icing. It is a mixture of fun and sci-fi and had the plot not been interspersed with excessive slices of backstory, it would have been delicious. Nonetheless, the author has some quirky innovative ideas and I award him four well-deserved stars.
‘The Things We Learn When We’re Dead� is the second novel by Scottish author, Charlie Laidlaw. It is an unusual offbeat contemporary fantasy adventure, thankfully without a dragon and demon in sight. The cartoony feel of the cover sets the tone for the tale and the reader knows this book isn’t taking itself too seriously.
The beginning of the story held a lot of promise and I was very keen to read on. The main character, Lorna, has a lot to contend with. Accepting she is dead but still apparently sentient and physically unscathed after her fatal accident, inevitably presents all sorts of emotional challenges along with re-evaluation and soul-searching. She has to come to terms with being a ‘temporal anomaly�.
However, the book then became a bit more of a challenge. There were a lot of flashback and dream sequences as Lorna’s memory gradually returned as part of her regeneration; this was clearly relevant to the overall story but rather too long-winded. The author poses a couple of questions for the reader to mull over but several times I forgot these key elements of the plot, due to all the padding.
I also found Lorna’s choice of language a little incongruous at times. When she initially wakes, she believes herself to be in hospital; she would doubtless be disorientated and probably ask where she was and how long she had been there but would she really greet a total stranger with the words ‘Who the hell are you?�
Inevitably, basing a book in space leads to comparisons with ‘Star Trek�; doubtless to counter this, the author himself makes the connection, more than once.
Laidlaw is a talented wordsmith. His use of humour and irony is well-placed and he has created some colourful characters, in the form of Irene and God. The dynamic between these supporting players is intriguing. His creation concept is very clever and well thought out and I loved his explanation for some of the achievements of mankind. He also poses some awkward questions which certainly made me think � is eternity the ultimate goal and if it were a possibility, would I choose it?
The idea of the crew of HVN looking like famous people was an amusing distraction and thankfully, they were so famous, that even I had heard of them. I particularly enjoyed the backhanded swipe at the ex-Prime Minister a lot of us love to hate! That alone was almost worth a bonus star.
For me, this is a cake with too much icing. It is a mixture of fun and sci-fi and had the plot not been interspersed with excessive slices of backstory, it would have been delicious. Nonetheless, the author has some quirky innovative ideas and I award him four well-deserved stars.
September 26, 2017
"The Things We Learn When We're Dead" by Charlie Laidlaw is an excellent fun book that allows you just to relax, enjoy and be emerged in an alternate world of what we believe to be heaven. This book is a very quirky take of what the author envisages to be the afterlife, and what an imagination he has, it's certainly nothing I could have come up with.
When Lorna Love is run over, she wakes in a hospital in which her nurse looks like a young Sean Connery, she is served wine for supper, and everyone avoids her questions. It soon transpires that she is in Heaven, or on HVN. Because HVN is a lost, dysfunctional spaceship, and God the aging hippy captain. She seems to be there by accident ...Or does God have a higher purpose after all?
I loved reading the stories of Lorna's childhood as she remembered them, growing up in North Berwick, Scotland. It was very easy to feel her emotions too and she was a very likeable character, a joy to read and certainly the perfect and appropriate candidate for the story.
The infestation of hamsters stuck in the ventilation shaft that God is responsible for, a McDonalds for the crew onboard ship are all a hoot and I really could go on endlessly about all the amusing little things that make up this book.
This book is a great read and as long as you keep an open mind, is a fabulously fun way to spend a few hours.
4 stars.
When Lorna Love is run over, she wakes in a hospital in which her nurse looks like a young Sean Connery, she is served wine for supper, and everyone avoids her questions. It soon transpires that she is in Heaven, or on HVN. Because HVN is a lost, dysfunctional spaceship, and God the aging hippy captain. She seems to be there by accident ...Or does God have a higher purpose after all?
I loved reading the stories of Lorna's childhood as she remembered them, growing up in North Berwick, Scotland. It was very easy to feel her emotions too and she was a very likeable character, a joy to read and certainly the perfect and appropriate candidate for the story.
The infestation of hamsters stuck in the ventilation shaft that God is responsible for, a McDonalds for the crew onboard ship are all a hoot and I really could go on endlessly about all the amusing little things that make up this book.
This book is a great read and as long as you keep an open mind, is a fabulously fun way to spend a few hours.
4 stars.
December 10, 2018
3.5
Most times, it’s too late to figure it all out. Sometimes, there is the chance to make things right before the domino effect sets all else in motion. Never is there time to tell loved ones everything we wanted to before a fatal accident…unless you are Lorna Love!
“Then she was aware of a paramedic in a green uniform gently turning her onto her back and she lay there gazing at the stars, all she could feel was great sadness and a void that might not now be filled. Then, her eyesight fading, she heard a child crying, muffled sobs from nearby. The child seemed to be crying into a pillow, the feathers pressed against its mouth and nose. Lorna knew that the child didn’t want to be heard…�
Lorna is a young professional who progressed from working entry level jobs to going back to school. She is a budding lawyer now and what you call an idealist. Nothing has come easy to her in achieving her goals. Not following an exact plan to get there, she is graduating soon and happy so, albeit her track of mediocre relationships, the current political situation and the loss of her best friend.
They say she committed suicide, by stepping out in front of a moving car. Only Lorna knows the truth…and God.
“What I don’t know is why you didn’t bother to invent a cure for poverty or cancer. Or stop illegal wars…often conducted in your name! A proper God would have done that.�
Awake in a strange new place, Lorna has so many questions. Her surroundings are the same, but they are not. She finds herself among actors, fancy foods and a sort of imitated world she knows.
Lorna is in heaven…a vehicle for all the souls that have the chance to go there. Not only from Earth, but other places in space and from different galaxies. Heaven, in this novel, is a spaceship called HVN. A place where lucky ones chosen by God find out the purpose of their presence and are given a great choice to make.
As she is recovering on the ship, she is drifting in and out of different memories from her life on Earth. At first is takes a little while…there are gaps she can’t remember, but soon all is filling in. They all lead her to an ultimate decision that make her past life to be one special treasure to be upheld. A choice, a gift and an ending, most of us would love to have.
***
This novel reads in two timelines after Lorna’s accident. One of her presence in heaven and one of her life’s memories that span chronologically from her childhood to her present circumstance.
At times her failures at relationships are funny and other times very realistic and sad. All the things we do when we are young, she is reminiscing about parents, family life, best friends, school, parties, boyfriends, vacations, aspirations, failures etc.
The novel reads effortlessly, easy going and is well written. Flawless in style. I liked the concept of this heaven where people and other life are picked to come and find out their purpose. The idea of it not only being ‘our heaven� hit me for a loop for a moment, but the idea is brilliant.
Some small parts seemed a little unrealistic. Earthlike foods / resources and technologies seemed to be there in an abundance, yet here on Earth we struggle with non-renewable resources and extinction. It wasn’t explained how they are so readily available in heaven to indulge on…perhaps it’s my lack of imagination or knowledge, or reading error.
This novel holds its weight with any modern fiction. For my taste it was a little too long in parts, but admittedly, I was eager to find out the ending and the point of it all. Definitely an interesting and entertaining read. I am glad I had the chance to do so.
I received a digital copy of this novel by author in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you.
More of my reviews here:
Most times, it’s too late to figure it all out. Sometimes, there is the chance to make things right before the domino effect sets all else in motion. Never is there time to tell loved ones everything we wanted to before a fatal accident…unless you are Lorna Love!
“Then she was aware of a paramedic in a green uniform gently turning her onto her back and she lay there gazing at the stars, all she could feel was great sadness and a void that might not now be filled. Then, her eyesight fading, she heard a child crying, muffled sobs from nearby. The child seemed to be crying into a pillow, the feathers pressed against its mouth and nose. Lorna knew that the child didn’t want to be heard…�
Lorna is a young professional who progressed from working entry level jobs to going back to school. She is a budding lawyer now and what you call an idealist. Nothing has come easy to her in achieving her goals. Not following an exact plan to get there, she is graduating soon and happy so, albeit her track of mediocre relationships, the current political situation and the loss of her best friend.
They say she committed suicide, by stepping out in front of a moving car. Only Lorna knows the truth…and God.
“What I don’t know is why you didn’t bother to invent a cure for poverty or cancer. Or stop illegal wars…often conducted in your name! A proper God would have done that.�
Awake in a strange new place, Lorna has so many questions. Her surroundings are the same, but they are not. She finds herself among actors, fancy foods and a sort of imitated world she knows.
Lorna is in heaven…a vehicle for all the souls that have the chance to go there. Not only from Earth, but other places in space and from different galaxies. Heaven, in this novel, is a spaceship called HVN. A place where lucky ones chosen by God find out the purpose of their presence and are given a great choice to make.
As she is recovering on the ship, she is drifting in and out of different memories from her life on Earth. At first is takes a little while…there are gaps she can’t remember, but soon all is filling in. They all lead her to an ultimate decision that make her past life to be one special treasure to be upheld. A choice, a gift and an ending, most of us would love to have.
***
This novel reads in two timelines after Lorna’s accident. One of her presence in heaven and one of her life’s memories that span chronologically from her childhood to her present circumstance.
At times her failures at relationships are funny and other times very realistic and sad. All the things we do when we are young, she is reminiscing about parents, family life, best friends, school, parties, boyfriends, vacations, aspirations, failures etc.
The novel reads effortlessly, easy going and is well written. Flawless in style. I liked the concept of this heaven where people and other life are picked to come and find out their purpose. The idea of it not only being ‘our heaven� hit me for a loop for a moment, but the idea is brilliant.
Some small parts seemed a little unrealistic. Earthlike foods / resources and technologies seemed to be there in an abundance, yet here on Earth we struggle with non-renewable resources and extinction. It wasn’t explained how they are so readily available in heaven to indulge on…perhaps it’s my lack of imagination or knowledge, or reading error.
This novel holds its weight with any modern fiction. For my taste it was a little too long in parts, but admittedly, I was eager to find out the ending and the point of it all. Definitely an interesting and entertaining read. I am glad I had the chance to do so.
I received a digital copy of this novel by author in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you.
More of my reviews here:
September 20, 2018
I would like to thank Reads and Reels Blog Tours for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
What a spectacular novel that was filled with surprise and delight!!! When hearing about this book I wasn’t sure what to think but I am so glad that I chose to give it a chance because the reward was so rewarding that I wi have to read again in the future. From the first pages, this novel captivated me and didn’t let up either until the very end. I gladly endured a night without sleep for this 5 Star read and would without a doubt do it again.💙 This had to be one of the best books that I have read this year and I don’t take saying that lightly. If you are looking for a great plot, fantastic characters and a Book that will have you in awe, than this is the novel for you!😀💙 I overall just adored this 5 Star Read and I highly recommend it as well!😀
What a spectacular novel that was filled with surprise and delight!!! When hearing about this book I wasn’t sure what to think but I am so glad that I chose to give it a chance because the reward was so rewarding that I wi have to read again in the future. From the first pages, this novel captivated me and didn’t let up either until the very end. I gladly endured a night without sleep for this 5 Star read and would without a doubt do it again.💙 This had to be one of the best books that I have read this year and I don’t take saying that lightly. If you are looking for a great plot, fantastic characters and a Book that will have you in awe, than this is the novel for you!😀💙 I overall just adored this 5 Star Read and I highly recommend it as well!😀
December 17, 2018
Sci-fi? Or not so Sci-fi?
"On the way home from a dinner party, Lorna Love steps into the path of an oncoming car. When she wakes up she is in what appears to be a hospital � but a hospital in which her nurse looks like a young Sean Connery, she is served wine for supper, and everyone avoids her questions. It soon transpires that she is in Heaven, or on HVN, because HVN is a lost, dysfunctional spaceship, and God the aging hippy captain. She seems to be there by accident� or does God have a higher purpose after all? Despite that, The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is neither sci-fi nor fantasy. It is a book about memory and how, if we could remember things slightly differently, would we also be changed? In HVN, Lorna can at first remember nothing. But as her memories return � some good, some bad � she realises that she has decisions to make and that, maybe, she can find a way back home."
This book was a little hard for me to follow but not impossible. All of the spaceship jargon made it a little difficult for the layman but I digress. The underlying story was very interesting and indeed original in some respects. It was well-paced and well-written and the characters were believable and relatable.
This book is funny because the cover art and the setting make it out to be a science fiction novel but the story seems to be anything but. it's very strange and compelling the way the author weaved both of those elements together. I mean parts of it would even make you think that this isn't a very serious novel to begin with. It's almost a comedy and some respect. of course that could be just me and my twisted sense of humor LOL. 😜
I did enjoy reading this book however like I said all of the science fiction spaceship jargon really took away from the storyline for me. I did like Lorna however. I thought she was a very easygoing and sympathetic character.
I understand that the author is going to be making this book into a series and I would be interested to find out more about that if it is so.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a good Sci-Fi novel or a strong female lead character.
"On the way home from a dinner party, Lorna Love steps into the path of an oncoming car. When she wakes up she is in what appears to be a hospital � but a hospital in which her nurse looks like a young Sean Connery, she is served wine for supper, and everyone avoids her questions. It soon transpires that she is in Heaven, or on HVN, because HVN is a lost, dysfunctional spaceship, and God the aging hippy captain. She seems to be there by accident� or does God have a higher purpose after all? Despite that, The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is neither sci-fi nor fantasy. It is a book about memory and how, if we could remember things slightly differently, would we also be changed? In HVN, Lorna can at first remember nothing. But as her memories return � some good, some bad � she realises that she has decisions to make and that, maybe, she can find a way back home."
This book was a little hard for me to follow but not impossible. All of the spaceship jargon made it a little difficult for the layman but I digress. The underlying story was very interesting and indeed original in some respects. It was well-paced and well-written and the characters were believable and relatable.
This book is funny because the cover art and the setting make it out to be a science fiction novel but the story seems to be anything but. it's very strange and compelling the way the author weaved both of those elements together. I mean parts of it would even make you think that this isn't a very serious novel to begin with. It's almost a comedy and some respect. of course that could be just me and my twisted sense of humor LOL. 😜
I did enjoy reading this book however like I said all of the science fiction spaceship jargon really took away from the storyline for me. I did like Lorna however. I thought she was a very easygoing and sympathetic character.
I understand that the author is going to be making this book into a series and I would be interested to find out more about that if it is so.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a good Sci-Fi novel or a strong female lead character.
March 15, 2018
As Lorna adapts to her new surroundings on the spaceship, random objects she sees � M&S underwear, lamb cutlets, even a hamster � trigger memories from her past life. At first these are fragmented, incomplete and often confusing. Some are pleasant memories: childhood holidays, family picnics, games with friends, the first stirrings of interest in the opposite sex. Others are reminders of loss and grief.
Many of Lorna’s memories revolve around exploits with her stylish friend, Suzie, and Lorna’s relationships with men that, it has to be said, have not been entirely successful. I confess to feeling a pang of sympathy for poor sweet, stolid Austin (described at one point as ‘a rather dull dog with very few tricks�). As the book progresses, the reader sees that actions do indeed have consequences, even if unintended, and may set in motion a chain of events that can end tragically.
The book blurb describes The Things We Learn When We’re Dead as having ‘elements of The Wizard of Oz, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and The Lovely Bones�. Personally, I couldn’t detect that much of a connection with The Lovely Bones and only slight allusions to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. (I understand from the author those comparisons were the publisher's decision.) If looking for cultural references, I would say the depiction of the stranded HVN spaceship draws more from Star Trek than anything else with its transporters, holographs and replicators. I enjoyed Lorna’s pleasure at the small, surprising miracles on the spaceship, like the ability of a chilled glass of wine to stay chilled even when drunk in the bath.
When it comes to The Wizard of Oz, certainly there are characters described as lacking courage and not having much of a brain that remind one of the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow. However, I think a reader expecting this book to be a straight retelling of The Wizard of Oz may be disappointed. What they won’t be disappointed in is the quality of the writing, the quirky humour and the authenticity with which Lorna’s memories of her childhood and young adult experiences are described.
I really enjoyed The Things We Learn When We’re Dead. As someone who reads very little fantasy and science fiction only occasionally (and then more of the dystopian variety), I wasn’t really disappointed that the extra-terrestrial element takes more of a back seat as the book progresses. The ending didn’t particularly surprise me but I found myself wishing Lorna well in the future choices she makes.
I received a personally inscribed review copy from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review. I’d like to thank the author for his patience in waiting for his book to reach the top of my review pile.
Many of Lorna’s memories revolve around exploits with her stylish friend, Suzie, and Lorna’s relationships with men that, it has to be said, have not been entirely successful. I confess to feeling a pang of sympathy for poor sweet, stolid Austin (described at one point as ‘a rather dull dog with very few tricks�). As the book progresses, the reader sees that actions do indeed have consequences, even if unintended, and may set in motion a chain of events that can end tragically.
The book blurb describes The Things We Learn When We’re Dead as having ‘elements of The Wizard of Oz, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and The Lovely Bones�. Personally, I couldn’t detect that much of a connection with The Lovely Bones and only slight allusions to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. (I understand from the author those comparisons were the publisher's decision.) If looking for cultural references, I would say the depiction of the stranded HVN spaceship draws more from Star Trek than anything else with its transporters, holographs and replicators. I enjoyed Lorna’s pleasure at the small, surprising miracles on the spaceship, like the ability of a chilled glass of wine to stay chilled even when drunk in the bath.
When it comes to The Wizard of Oz, certainly there are characters described as lacking courage and not having much of a brain that remind one of the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow. However, I think a reader expecting this book to be a straight retelling of The Wizard of Oz may be disappointed. What they won’t be disappointed in is the quality of the writing, the quirky humour and the authenticity with which Lorna’s memories of her childhood and young adult experiences are described.
I really enjoyed The Things We Learn When We’re Dead. As someone who reads very little fantasy and science fiction only occasionally (and then more of the dystopian variety), I wasn’t really disappointed that the extra-terrestrial element takes more of a back seat as the book progresses. The ending didn’t particularly surprise me but I found myself wishing Lorna well in the future choices she makes.
I received a personally inscribed review copy from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review. I’d like to thank the author for his patience in waiting for his book to reach the top of my review pile.
September 9, 2017
I'm going to start this review by expressing how comfy this book was to read. Now, I know that sounds a bit odd. It has nothing to do with the beautifully poignant story. Nothing to do with how the depth of characters and their relatable personas that made me feel fully connected in every way possible. And nothing to do with the fact that there's a hamster peeking out of a rocket on the front cover.
This paperback felt great to hold. The pages and cover were just so soft and squidgy! When open, the book stayed open on the page I was on, no risk of it flapping itself shut when put down briefly. The binding was malleable enough to not crack or crease at any time, which pleased me no end. I do love a book that retains its newness after it's been devoured. So, thank you, Accent Press Ltd for making this book feel so damn good!
Now, where was I? Aah, yes, reviewing Charlie's story after he was kind enough to send me a copy and write a sweet note inside too. In reply, the pleasure was ALL MINE, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!
Lorna Love is training to be a solicitor, getting through Uni by working at the local HappyMart and spending time with her friends and family. One evening, on the way home from a dinner party, she is knocked down by a car, and when she awakes, she appears to be in hospital. Except this place is not hospital, she is in fact, in Heaven. Or HVN, as God points out to her.
I'll be honest, when I read the synopsis and skimmed through a few reviews on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. I usually don't go for anything that has a hint of sci-fi or fantasy. 'A subtle retelling of The Wizard of Oz with hints of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy'. No, this wouldn't be my cuppa tea, surely, but how wrong was I? Very, as it happens.
In fact, it turned out to be a 5 star read for Gods sake! Yes, God, with your hippy beads and unkempt hair and goatee.
The Things We Learn When We're Dead is a story of hindsight, acceptance, and how our choices impact not only our own lives, but also of those around us. A life lesson where one gets the opportunity to have a second chance, time to thoroughly think things through and see life through a different perspective. It all sounds very deep and meaningful, I know, but Charlie Laidlaw portrays the seriousness of life (and death) with light-hearted humour, wonderful characters and Star Wars.
What I liked about it the most was that Heaven was portrayed as a concept as well as a place of mystery and confusion, mirroring true life in so many ways. The fact that it was a complex spaceship with a severe hamster problem made it an entertaining read.
The narrative swaps between Lorna's time on board HVN, to her life from child, to becoming a trainee Solicitor. In Heaven she gets the opportunity to 'review' her life, to understand different points of view, and to drink white wine and soda with a few famous faces. I enjoyed the narrative the most when Lorna was piecing her memories back together. All characters were so believable, coming from different walks of life, each with a unique quality that made them stand out clearly from each other. Her best friend Suzie was adorable. Slightly annoying, but adorable nonetheless.
I'm finding it really hard to write my review because this book is an all-round lovely thing that I can't stop thinking about. It's so cleverly written that I feel like I'm not doing it any justice by gushing about it and singing its praises. My advice would be just buy it and see for yourself just how brilliant it is.
I'd like to say a huge thank you to Charlie Laidlaw for sending me a copy to read in exchange for an honest review.
July 10, 2018
*** Note: I won signed copy of this book in giveaways during blogtour. Many thanks to author for sending me this beautiful book. ***
You might have head of someone dead for few seconds or a minute and resuscitated back to life. Something happened in those few seconds or minute and person that came back feels different, back with new thought and purpose in life and wanting to do things differently. Even some claiming to have seen a magical white light or a figure that changed everything. This concept was wonderfully turned into a novel by author.
TTWLWWD was largely a contemporary fiction mixed with fantasy, a life story of Lorna and things she learned, what she did with her life, after she is dead. It was about � how we live life, mistakes we make and consequences of those mistakes, how it affects even people around us; fighting inner demon; following dream to do something good with life and do not waver from it no matter what life throws at you. Sadly main character, Lorna, learned all this once she was dead!
Characters-
Protagonist Lorna was clever, sarcastic, modest, self-effacing, and unsure at times. I liked her ideologies and her principles. Given the chance of all facilities and posh lifestyle on HVN, she found them preposterous and I liked this in her. She had many good characteristic but was flawed. One minus point about her was she was comparing her life with her rich friend Suzie and that indirectly affected her life decisions. I feel, the choices she made were not wrong in a way but the logic she applied behind it and acted accordingly was wrong. It was difficult understand this character at one go because of the way book was written.
Suzie was my favorite in this book. She was free spirit, ambitious, she knew from the very beginning what she wanted in life and did that, was a great friend who never formed any opinion and judgment for Lorna and even reproved her when she felt Lorna was going in wrong direction in life. She stayed with Lorna in all stages of life. This bonding between Suzie and Lorna was heartwarming and comforting.
Other secondary characters played great role in Lorna’s life and I liked how they were represented.
What I liked-
I liked the way all chapters were written. Start was promising with death of Lorna, how she died and what she was doing before her accident with the hint of something wrong she did. Book exactly started with End and ended with Beginning. It was third person narrative written from Lorna’s POV, with two important parts written intermittently � 1) Lorna’s life narrated in many flashbacks which were her fragmented memories that were coming back to her as a process of regeneration; set in Scotland –Edinburgh and North Berwick. 2) Her Life after death in the heaven, set in HVN spaceship where god and other immortals lived.
Lorna’s confusion and disorientation with pieces of information, her new surrounding on HVN and the fact of being dead was depicted nicely, I could feel her frustration and helplessness with not enough answers. As she learned and got her memories bits by bits readers get to know more about both her past and present world. There was no other way of guessing what exactly happened, what Lorna did wrong or right, or even whether I like her or not, I was just going with flow. This made book extra interesting and made me read it to the end. I curious to know about Lorna and her life more and to see how she was developed throughout the book. As all fragmented memories came together towards the end, the story made more sense.
I liked how subtly plot was executed. It was challenging to read whole life story of Lorna as fragmented backstory with in-between HVN part but was steady paced with mix of amusing world building and emotional ups and downs.
This books had most unique world building in which author gave different perspective to the concept of God, Heaven, what happens when someone dies and what people believe about life after death. HVN spaceship was governed by God. It had most high-tech system and immortals were kind of species who had lot similarities with people on Earth and were highly influenced by everything on Earth. There was no restrictions, they can smoke, drink, eat what they like, and can have all amenities one can ever imagine without spending a penny. All info about spaceship was given a scientific touch with the details of physiques, hyperspace and realspace.
My favorite part in this world building was Trinity which was computer system that help in running HVN smoothly. I loved her attitude. I liked all part of the book where she explained things to Lorna. Irene and God were amazing and I loved the freedom they gave to Lorna to believe what she wanted to believe. Their bickering and disagreements were amusing.
Another part I loved was the one where god explains how he helped people on Earth and why there were only few people on HVN and no other dead returned from Earth except Lorna. Lorna’s question on why the Earth is so messed up, why there is disease and war, and why he didn’t do anything about it was answered thoughtfully that changed the notion of blaming everything on God. I liked the way eternity and life was represented, pros and cons of eternal life, and how important it is to have purpose in life. All characters made mistakes in life including God. This insight was just awe-inspiring. There were many other insightful messages and the questions that made me think even after finishing the book.
End was great. I wish I could see what Lorna did with her choice later and how all the experience on HVN affected her.
Overall, it was cozy, quirky, ironic novel with innovative concept, cleverly written plot, and many insightful messages. Just loved this book. I recommend this book to all readers and I advise to read it with patience.
You can also read this review on my blog-
You might have head of someone dead for few seconds or a minute and resuscitated back to life. Something happened in those few seconds or minute and person that came back feels different, back with new thought and purpose in life and wanting to do things differently. Even some claiming to have seen a magical white light or a figure that changed everything. This concept was wonderfully turned into a novel by author.
TTWLWWD was largely a contemporary fiction mixed with fantasy, a life story of Lorna and things she learned, what she did with her life, after she is dead. It was about � how we live life, mistakes we make and consequences of those mistakes, how it affects even people around us; fighting inner demon; following dream to do something good with life and do not waver from it no matter what life throws at you. Sadly main character, Lorna, learned all this once she was dead!
Characters-
Protagonist Lorna was clever, sarcastic, modest, self-effacing, and unsure at times. I liked her ideologies and her principles. Given the chance of all facilities and posh lifestyle on HVN, she found them preposterous and I liked this in her. She had many good characteristic but was flawed. One minus point about her was she was comparing her life with her rich friend Suzie and that indirectly affected her life decisions. I feel, the choices she made were not wrong in a way but the logic she applied behind it and acted accordingly was wrong. It was difficult understand this character at one go because of the way book was written.
Suzie was my favorite in this book. She was free spirit, ambitious, she knew from the very beginning what she wanted in life and did that, was a great friend who never formed any opinion and judgment for Lorna and even reproved her when she felt Lorna was going in wrong direction in life. She stayed with Lorna in all stages of life. This bonding between Suzie and Lorna was heartwarming and comforting.
Other secondary characters played great role in Lorna’s life and I liked how they were represented.
What I liked-
I liked the way all chapters were written. Start was promising with death of Lorna, how she died and what she was doing before her accident with the hint of something wrong she did. Book exactly started with End and ended with Beginning. It was third person narrative written from Lorna’s POV, with two important parts written intermittently � 1) Lorna’s life narrated in many flashbacks which were her fragmented memories that were coming back to her as a process of regeneration; set in Scotland –Edinburgh and North Berwick. 2) Her Life after death in the heaven, set in HVN spaceship where god and other immortals lived.
Lorna’s confusion and disorientation with pieces of information, her new surrounding on HVN and the fact of being dead was depicted nicely, I could feel her frustration and helplessness with not enough answers. As she learned and got her memories bits by bits readers get to know more about both her past and present world. There was no other way of guessing what exactly happened, what Lorna did wrong or right, or even whether I like her or not, I was just going with flow. This made book extra interesting and made me read it to the end. I curious to know about Lorna and her life more and to see how she was developed throughout the book. As all fragmented memories came together towards the end, the story made more sense.
I liked how subtly plot was executed. It was challenging to read whole life story of Lorna as fragmented backstory with in-between HVN part but was steady paced with mix of amusing world building and emotional ups and downs.
This books had most unique world building in which author gave different perspective to the concept of God, Heaven, what happens when someone dies and what people believe about life after death. HVN spaceship was governed by God. It had most high-tech system and immortals were kind of species who had lot similarities with people on Earth and were highly influenced by everything on Earth. There was no restrictions, they can smoke, drink, eat what they like, and can have all amenities one can ever imagine without spending a penny. All info about spaceship was given a scientific touch with the details of physiques, hyperspace and realspace.
My favorite part in this world building was Trinity which was computer system that help in running HVN smoothly. I loved her attitude. I liked all part of the book where she explained things to Lorna. Irene and God were amazing and I loved the freedom they gave to Lorna to believe what she wanted to believe. Their bickering and disagreements were amusing.
Another part I loved was the one where god explains how he helped people on Earth and why there were only few people on HVN and no other dead returned from Earth except Lorna. Lorna’s question on why the Earth is so messed up, why there is disease and war, and why he didn’t do anything about it was answered thoughtfully that changed the notion of blaming everything on God. I liked the way eternity and life was represented, pros and cons of eternal life, and how important it is to have purpose in life. All characters made mistakes in life including God. This insight was just awe-inspiring. There were many other insightful messages and the questions that made me think even after finishing the book.
End was great. I wish I could see what Lorna did with her choice later and how all the experience on HVN affected her.
Overall, it was cozy, quirky, ironic novel with innovative concept, cleverly written plot, and many insightful messages. Just loved this book. I recommend this book to all readers and I advise to read it with patience.
You can also read this review on my blog-
May 18, 2018
Fact is, I simply could not say no to the pull of this book. Read that blurb and tell me it doesn’t sound fantastic and positively quirky??? Hippy god and wine for dinner and Sean Connery-nurse? TTWLWWD just gave hospitals a new set of guidelines to add to their policies, hey!
I was all game and prepared to be presented with a plot based on choices and how each and every choice steers lives in new directions. We never really think of the long-term, overall implications of our choices until it’s too late, or sometimes we don’t even realize that our decisions to act in a certain way have caught up with us and manifest through a different life experience. I liked the manner with which Charlie approached this specific theme of having a character revisit their life and the choices they had made.
After being hit by a car, Lorna awakes in a strange hospital room and as she demands answers about where she is and why, the life she has lived will be unravelled page after page as fragments of her memory come back to her� As the timeline of choices and actions mixed with moments of bliss and sadness play out like a movie reel Lorna learns about herself, her true self, she sees people who have been in her life in a different light and has the chance to witness and analyze her whole life from a different perspective.
A different perspective- oh, how often did I wish I had that superpower at any present moment? *chuckles*
Lorna Love, the character, is the epitome of humanity. She is a full package of perfection and flaws, intelligence and ignorance, patience and impatience� She is everything that we all are. She has, and is, a lesson to be learned.
TTWLWWD is a quirky yet insightful novel with a touch of sci-fi. I would say, for me personally, the human condition element takes prevalence here. It is at times quite a lot to take in- there is a lot of backstory and history concerning Lorna’s life, complete with detailed descriptions, and even though they slightly took away from my pleasure of reading, I would still say everything in this novel is of value. It’s an exploration of a full circle of life. There is something for everyone in this book, I would like to think.
The story developed and captured me the closer to the end I got- as everything started to slot into place, I was intrigued to find out the how’s and why’s and what happens next. I enjoyed HVN’s celebrity clones, and how HVN kinda-sorta reflected the people in Lorna’s life- it was a bit eerie and cool. There is tons of heart and wit and unique ideas to drive the otherworldly to contrast the simple and relatable observations from life.
I was all game and prepared to be presented with a plot based on choices and how each and every choice steers lives in new directions. We never really think of the long-term, overall implications of our choices until it’s too late, or sometimes we don’t even realize that our decisions to act in a certain way have caught up with us and manifest through a different life experience. I liked the manner with which Charlie approached this specific theme of having a character revisit their life and the choices they had made.
After being hit by a car, Lorna awakes in a strange hospital room and as she demands answers about where she is and why, the life she has lived will be unravelled page after page as fragments of her memory come back to her� As the timeline of choices and actions mixed with moments of bliss and sadness play out like a movie reel Lorna learns about herself, her true self, she sees people who have been in her life in a different light and has the chance to witness and analyze her whole life from a different perspective.
A different perspective- oh, how often did I wish I had that superpower at any present moment? *chuckles*
Lorna Love, the character, is the epitome of humanity. She is a full package of perfection and flaws, intelligence and ignorance, patience and impatience� She is everything that we all are. She has, and is, a lesson to be learned.
Death had always seemed the ultimate full stop and, if an afterlife existed, it would be a place beyond understanding; a spirit domain of ascended souls, where nothing would resemble the mortal world.
TTWLWWD is a quirky yet insightful novel with a touch of sci-fi. I would say, for me personally, the human condition element takes prevalence here. It is at times quite a lot to take in- there is a lot of backstory and history concerning Lorna’s life, complete with detailed descriptions, and even though they slightly took away from my pleasure of reading, I would still say everything in this novel is of value. It’s an exploration of a full circle of life. There is something for everyone in this book, I would like to think.
The story developed and captured me the closer to the end I got- as everything started to slot into place, I was intrigued to find out the how’s and why’s and what happens next. I enjoyed HVN’s celebrity clones, and how HVN kinda-sorta reflected the people in Lorna’s life- it was a bit eerie and cool. There is tons of heart and wit and unique ideas to drive the otherworldly to contrast the simple and relatable observations from life.
June 14, 2018
Fresh, fantastical, and unique!
The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is an exceptionally innovative adventure that takes you on a journey with Lorna Love as she remembers her life back in North Berwick, explores an afterlife on HVN, meets some outrageous characters, including God, and realizes that every choice, good or bad has a consequence.
The prose is humorous and expressive. The characters are complex, rich, reflective, and intriguing. And the plot written in a back-and forth, past/present style is a well-crafted tale about life, death, emotion, introspection, friendship, acceptance, and second chances.
As most people know, I'm not a huge lover of sci-fi or fantasy novels, but The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is definitely an exception. It's creative, compelling, and witty and does a tremendous job of highlighting all the quirky intricacies of life, and ultimately reminds us that change is inevitable.
Thank you to Charlie Laidlaw for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
All my reviews can be found on my blog at
The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is an exceptionally innovative adventure that takes you on a journey with Lorna Love as she remembers her life back in North Berwick, explores an afterlife on HVN, meets some outrageous characters, including God, and realizes that every choice, good or bad has a consequence.
The prose is humorous and expressive. The characters are complex, rich, reflective, and intriguing. And the plot written in a back-and forth, past/present style is a well-crafted tale about life, death, emotion, introspection, friendship, acceptance, and second chances.
As most people know, I'm not a huge lover of sci-fi or fantasy novels, but The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is definitely an exception. It's creative, compelling, and witty and does a tremendous job of highlighting all the quirky intricacies of life, and ultimately reminds us that change is inevitable.
Thank you to Charlie Laidlaw for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
All my reviews can be found on my blog at
August 16, 2018
This started out as a pretty peculiar read. The science flummoxed me, until I realised I didn’t need to understand the science behind space travel! The memories of Lorna’s life kept me turning page after page. God as an alien? Or is he? Is he God? Are all of Lorna’s boyfriends hopeless?
I started out thinking this was a three star read, but it definitely turned into a lovely five star read. A delicate story about an ordinary person, despite her access to a Porsche. I can happily recommend this one.
I started out thinking this was a three star read, but it definitely turned into a lovely five star read. A delicate story about an ordinary person, despite her access to a Porsche. I can happily recommend this one.
September 16, 2018
I feel like I'm missing out on something here. A lot of you wildly loved this book. I just... Half-didn't get it. I guess in the end, this book wasn't for me, because I found it pretty trigerring and hard to stomach. The author himself commented to me that this book was supposed to be light-hearted, and some of the other readers say that as well, but I just don't get what's light-hearted about having a sibling die in a way that could have been avoided, having some really regrettable misses in relationships and in the end... I just... None of this is light-hearted. Not to me.
This is why it was really hard to read this book. I felt everything much too keenly and was rather inclined to weep, and not laugh. This book felt like it was soaked in regret and pain.
I think that it's only me who felt like that, reading it..?
Despite that, I finally got into it, after I was halfway. I have to say, the ending was nice indeed, but that still didn't fix the entire experience for me.
And I kind of feel bummed out about this.
But I guess you can't really always like and understand the things everyone else does, right?
I thank the author for giving me this book in exchange to my honest review. I'm truly sorry I probably missed the point. At least you know the review is honest.
This is why it was really hard to read this book. I felt everything much too keenly and was rather inclined to weep, and not laugh. This book felt like it was soaked in regret and pain.
I think that it's only me who felt like that, reading it..?
Despite that, I finally got into it, after I was halfway. I have to say, the ending was nice indeed, but that still didn't fix the entire experience for me.
And I kind of feel bummed out about this.
But I guess you can't really always like and understand the things everyone else does, right?
I thank the author for giving me this book in exchange to my honest review. I'm truly sorry I probably missed the point. At least you know the review is honest.
June 15, 2018
The Things We Learn When We're Dead is currently FREE on Amazon Kindle for a ! Now is a great time to pick up this read!
4.5 stars. Friends, I devoured this 500 page book in like 3 working days. This is such a refreshing and unique read! Lorna Love has died and gone to heaven... or rather HVN, a spaceship infested with hamsters (do not feed them, ever) among the stars.
The Things We Learn When We're Dead is mostly a book about Lorna's life; HVN and the cast of characters she meets on that spaceship are secondary to the story. This is a fast paced, character-driven novel told by an omniscient narrator in two perspectives:
"Many are taken, few are chosen."
After Lorna dies she wakes up to find herself in heaven... or rather, HVN -- an alien spaceship that has been essentially stranded near Earth for centuries after experiencing technical difficulties. Lorna finds out that she was regenerated on HVN after death and her memories were uploaded to the new body, only she doesn't remember much... yet.
"She'd been told that she was a temporal anomaly: dead in one place, alive in another. But Lorna didn't feel dead. She didn't feel devastated by her death, because she could no longer believe she had died. Equally, she didn't feel elated by continued life either. It was as if she had become two people, with different consciousnesses in different places; the real and nonsensical place in which she existed couldn't be death..."
The character development for Lorna's family and friends is done slowly through the non-sequential flashbacks as she regains her memory. Every single character felt real, they were relatable and multi-faceted. I cared for every single one of them.
"In Lorna's experience, her mother's barbecue sausages never turned brown, the way she sometimes saw on films or in adverts. One minute they were raw, the next cremated. There was no halfway stage at which burger or sausage could safely be eaten. They always came with a layer of charcoal."
We also learn a lot about Lorna through her regaining her memory... her moral code, her defensiveness at being thought stupid, wanting to appear knowledgeable and assured. Her idealism and wanting to make the world a better place. These traits reveal themselves as the layers of the onion of her personality are peeled back and I can relate to her so much. Lorna is a character that I believed her choices and actions -- as a matter of fact, I can say that about all of the characters; none were one dimensional.
I do wish that it had been clearer that the flashbacks were part of the overall HVN narrative; I think I realized that may be what was intended around 130 or so pages in but it wasn't confirmed until page 196.
While a lot of care is spent describing HVN and its inhabitants in the 'present', I did find the 'worldbuilding' during the flashbacks for Scotland a bit lacking. Edinburgh is a stunning city and there are such vast architectural differences between the Royal Mile area overlooking the castle and New Town; it is a shame that it wasn't expanded on a bit but that may just be my bias because I spent 4 weeks in Edinburgh during the summer of 2013. Page 205 mentions The Last Drop Pub, located in the Grassmarket, and I legit started laughing because I ate there a few times during my stay. As the book mentions, it is a historic pub where people used to be brought for their last drop of alcohol prior to their last drop (execution by hanging).
When I read a book I am usually afflicted with Synopsis Amnesia: I don't remember what the back cover said and I can truly read the book unspoiled. Sure, I read the synposes when I first decide to haul/TBR a book... it is just that for the most part by the time I pick it up I don't remember the details and prefer it that way. About midway through the book, for no logical explanation, I began trying to piece everything together based on the synopsis. Playing detective, searching for clues. And I think that may have been a bit to my detriment as it pulled me out of the fast paced, interesting and engaging narrative.
I highly recommend this book. It isn't science fiction, not really. It is a compelling and well written story about life, memory, and perception. The ending is open for interpretation, and I have my own theories but legit spoiler so don't click unless you have read the book . Also if anyone figures out more about the hamsters please let me know.
Many thanks to Charlie Laidlaw for sending my a free copy of his book in exchange for my honest review.
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4.5 stars. Friends, I devoured this 500 page book in like 3 working days. This is such a refreshing and unique read! Lorna Love has died and gone to heaven... or rather HVN, a spaceship infested with hamsters (do not feed them, ever) among the stars.
The Things We Learn When We're Dead is mostly a book about Lorna's life; HVN and the cast of characters she meets on that spaceship are secondary to the story. This is a fast paced, character-driven novel told by an omniscient narrator in two perspectives:
1. 'The present,' referring to the dead Lorna in heaven storylineThe narrator alternates between these two perspectives often and the flashbacks are presented in a non-linear fashion and the perspectives switched without warning. At times I did struggle to follow the timeline as I generally prefer a linear storytelling. While the jumps in time were always separated by asterisks, there isn't an indication of what time period (or if it is a memory at all). This was only a minor annoyance, though, because Laidlaw masterfully manages to have distinct voices depending on the time period -- memories from Lorna's childhood are told in a way that reads from that perspective, whereas the writing structure and language choices when she is older is different. The overall voice is consistent, but this nuanced way of noting the shift in time-frame was elegant and the way I was able to easily orient myself once I got acquainted with the writing style.
2. 'Flashbacks' (or memories) of Lorna's life and loved ones
"Many are taken, few are chosen."
After Lorna dies she wakes up to find herself in heaven... or rather, HVN -- an alien spaceship that has been essentially stranded near Earth for centuries after experiencing technical difficulties. Lorna finds out that she was regenerated on HVN after death and her memories were uploaded to the new body, only she doesn't remember much... yet.
"She'd been told that she was a temporal anomaly: dead in one place, alive in another. But Lorna didn't feel dead. She didn't feel devastated by her death, because she could no longer believe she had died. Equally, she didn't feel elated by continued life either. It was as if she had become two people, with different consciousnesses in different places; the real and nonsensical place in which she existed couldn't be death..."
The character development for Lorna's family and friends is done slowly through the non-sequential flashbacks as she regains her memory. Every single character felt real, they were relatable and multi-faceted. I cared for every single one of them.
"In Lorna's experience, her mother's barbecue sausages never turned brown, the way she sometimes saw on films or in adverts. One minute they were raw, the next cremated. There was no halfway stage at which burger or sausage could safely be eaten. They always came with a layer of charcoal."
We also learn a lot about Lorna through her regaining her memory... her moral code, her defensiveness at being thought stupid, wanting to appear knowledgeable and assured. Her idealism and wanting to make the world a better place. These traits reveal themselves as the layers of the onion of her personality are peeled back and I can relate to her so much. Lorna is a character that I believed her choices and actions -- as a matter of fact, I can say that about all of the characters; none were one dimensional.
I do wish that it had been clearer that the flashbacks were part of the overall HVN narrative; I think I realized that may be what was intended around 130 or so pages in but it wasn't confirmed until page 196.
While a lot of care is spent describing HVN and its inhabitants in the 'present', I did find the 'worldbuilding' during the flashbacks for Scotland a bit lacking. Edinburgh is a stunning city and there are such vast architectural differences between the Royal Mile area overlooking the castle and New Town; it is a shame that it wasn't expanded on a bit but that may just be my bias because I spent 4 weeks in Edinburgh during the summer of 2013. Page 205 mentions The Last Drop Pub, located in the Grassmarket, and I legit started laughing because I ate there a few times during my stay. As the book mentions, it is a historic pub where people used to be brought for their last drop of alcohol prior to their last drop (execution by hanging).
When I read a book I am usually afflicted with Synopsis Amnesia: I don't remember what the back cover said and I can truly read the book unspoiled. Sure, I read the synposes when I first decide to haul/TBR a book... it is just that for the most part by the time I pick it up I don't remember the details and prefer it that way. About midway through the book, for no logical explanation, I began trying to piece everything together based on the synopsis. Playing detective, searching for clues. And I think that may have been a bit to my detriment as it pulled me out of the fast paced, interesting and engaging narrative.
I highly recommend this book. It isn't science fiction, not really. It is a compelling and well written story about life, memory, and perception. The ending is open for interpretation, and I have my own theories but legit spoiler so don't click unless you have read the book . Also if anyone figures out more about the hamsters please let me know.
Many thanks to Charlie Laidlaw for sending my a free copy of his book in exchange for my honest review.
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April 2, 2019
“The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.�
I am so sorry it took me so long to write this review. I read the book ages ago, but it is so mind blowingly deep that I had to stew on it for a while to try to get my thoughts in order�.. which still hasn’t happened because, well hell, this is me! Ha ha!
The complexities of this book as Lorna tries to figure our where she is after waking up on HVN while remembering bits and pieces of her life as everything begins to sort of muddle together,
“Our brains can’t remember everything, that’s the truth of it. A lifetime of memories, that’s what you get, and then you die. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to be. Instead, we’ve been here for many, many lifetimes. Too many memories for one brain, sweetie. So, old memories get erased to make way for the new ones.�
I love this Arthur Conan Doyle way of thinking. Sherlock always believed that we have a finite amount of space in our brains and we should pick and choose what is important to learn and remember. IT MAKES COMPLETE SENSE TO ME!! (And then I know what to blame if I forget something!)
The characters in this book were amazing. The crass, smoking Irene from the quote above, the hippie looking version of “God�, and Trinity, the ships computer who likes to be treated nicely and have you mind your P’s and Q’s,
“Trinity does like to hear please and thank you,� Irene advised over her shoulder. “It’s not compulsory to be nice but, as you’ll find, if you’re nice to her, she’ll be especially helpful to you. Whenever you see a wall panel with a green triangle on it, you know you’re beside a transporter stop. If you can’t find one, as Trinity. Wherever you are on this facility, you just have to ask. Usually, Trinity will respond.�
“But, not always.�
“No. Not always.�
This book covered SO MUCH!! Like, in heaven, do you just get what you want all the time? Or do you earn it? Isn’t half of the fun of owning something the feeling of accomplishment you get when you finally earn it?? Or, all of the religious wars that have happened in our time, is heaven really a necessary construct to begin with??
“All those lives lived in the shadow of a personal creator and each believing that they’re right and that they alone will find immortality.�
“Without a belief in Heaven, wouldn’t everyone on Earth get along a little better?�
All I can say is READ. THIS. BOOK.
It’s funny, it’s sweet, it’s confusing, yet thought provoking. I CAN’T WAIT TO READ THE NEXT ONE!!
I am so sorry it took me so long to write this review. I read the book ages ago, but it is so mind blowingly deep that I had to stew on it for a while to try to get my thoughts in order�.. which still hasn’t happened because, well hell, this is me! Ha ha!
The complexities of this book as Lorna tries to figure our where she is after waking up on HVN while remembering bits and pieces of her life as everything begins to sort of muddle together,
“Our brains can’t remember everything, that’s the truth of it. A lifetime of memories, that’s what you get, and then you die. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to be. Instead, we’ve been here for many, many lifetimes. Too many memories for one brain, sweetie. So, old memories get erased to make way for the new ones.�
I love this Arthur Conan Doyle way of thinking. Sherlock always believed that we have a finite amount of space in our brains and we should pick and choose what is important to learn and remember. IT MAKES COMPLETE SENSE TO ME!! (And then I know what to blame if I forget something!)
The characters in this book were amazing. The crass, smoking Irene from the quote above, the hippie looking version of “God�, and Trinity, the ships computer who likes to be treated nicely and have you mind your P’s and Q’s,
“Trinity does like to hear please and thank you,� Irene advised over her shoulder. “It’s not compulsory to be nice but, as you’ll find, if you’re nice to her, she’ll be especially helpful to you. Whenever you see a wall panel with a green triangle on it, you know you’re beside a transporter stop. If you can’t find one, as Trinity. Wherever you are on this facility, you just have to ask. Usually, Trinity will respond.�
“But, not always.�
“No. Not always.�
This book covered SO MUCH!! Like, in heaven, do you just get what you want all the time? Or do you earn it? Isn’t half of the fun of owning something the feeling of accomplishment you get when you finally earn it?? Or, all of the religious wars that have happened in our time, is heaven really a necessary construct to begin with??
“All those lives lived in the shadow of a personal creator and each believing that they’re right and that they alone will find immortality.�
“Without a belief in Heaven, wouldn’t everyone on Earth get along a little better?�
All I can say is READ. THIS. BOOK.
It’s funny, it’s sweet, it’s confusing, yet thought provoking. I CAN’T WAIT TO READ THE NEXT ONE!!
September 20, 2017
Described as a modern fairy-tale of love and loss and, for those readers who want to make the connection, a retelling of The Wizard of Oz, I was really eager to see how The Things We Learn When We’re Dead would go. I loved The Wizard of Oz when I was wee and if I’m totally honest I still do so I had high hopes and I wasn’t disappointed at all.
Lorna Love is young, has her whole life ahead of her until one evening she steps in front of a car. When Lorna wakes up she’s in a strange room, she can’t remember anything and is served wine for supper. What then follows is the story of Lorna remembering her life, her childhood, the decisions she’s made and the big question, why did God pick her?
What a wonderful story this was, and one I’m so happy I’ve read. With the story beginning with the END and Lorna’s demise we slowlyÌýlearnÌýabout Lorna as she herself remembersÌýher past growing up in North Berwick, her family life, her move to Edinburgh to train to become a solicitor and so much more. Lorna is such a great character, there was aÌýrealness to her and it was very easy to get swept away in Lorna’s story. I couldn’t help feeling all the emotions as Lorna’s life was revealed, it was very easy to fall into this story and become invested.
I will admit when I started this book I thought I was going to be reading a quirky sci-fi take on the Wizard Of OZ, I wasn’t expecting what I got which was a story that shows you that what ever decision you make, whether it be small or large, it can have an impact onÌýnot only your life but others as well. It’s a story about acceptance, about how we can’t change the past but maybe, just maybe we can change the future. Oh and also hamsters, yes you read that right, hamsters. The pesky little things that have taken over Heaven or HVN as it is now called.
Filled with wonderful characters, The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is a fantastic story that is incredibly well written. It’s quite a chunky book but I got so engrossed, before I knew it I was at the end. It’s unique, thought-provoking, sad and oh so funny at times. It really is an all rounder and one I’ll highly recommend.
I’ve found it really hard to write this review with the fear I’ll give away any spoilers so what I will say is that The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is definitely worth a read, I think it will appeal to many and its a story that stays with you.
Lorna Love is young, has her whole life ahead of her until one evening she steps in front of a car. When Lorna wakes up she’s in a strange room, she can’t remember anything and is served wine for supper. What then follows is the story of Lorna remembering her life, her childhood, the decisions she’s made and the big question, why did God pick her?
What a wonderful story this was, and one I’m so happy I’ve read. With the story beginning with the END and Lorna’s demise we slowlyÌýlearnÌýabout Lorna as she herself remembersÌýher past growing up in North Berwick, her family life, her move to Edinburgh to train to become a solicitor and so much more. Lorna is such a great character, there was aÌýrealness to her and it was very easy to get swept away in Lorna’s story. I couldn’t help feeling all the emotions as Lorna’s life was revealed, it was very easy to fall into this story and become invested.
I will admit when I started this book I thought I was going to be reading a quirky sci-fi take on the Wizard Of OZ, I wasn’t expecting what I got which was a story that shows you that what ever decision you make, whether it be small or large, it can have an impact onÌýnot only your life but others as well. It’s a story about acceptance, about how we can’t change the past but maybe, just maybe we can change the future. Oh and also hamsters, yes you read that right, hamsters. The pesky little things that have taken over Heaven or HVN as it is now called.
Filled with wonderful characters, The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is a fantastic story that is incredibly well written. It’s quite a chunky book but I got so engrossed, before I knew it I was at the end. It’s unique, thought-provoking, sad and oh so funny at times. It really is an all rounder and one I’ll highly recommend.
I’ve found it really hard to write this review with the fear I’ll give away any spoilers so what I will say is that The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is definitely worth a read, I think it will appeal to many and its a story that stays with you.
June 14, 2018
The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is a book that I find impossible to suggest a genre for. Part fantasy, coming of age, discovery and one that encourages a feel good atmosphere. It is likened to both Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and The Wizard of Oz. I have read neither but have watched the film of The Wizard of Oz. The only part of that I can remember is a couple of really annoying songs that I was singing to myself as I read this novel.
I haven’t read anything like this before. It felt a little strange having God as a main character, especially with the type of character he was. I thought of him as a track suit wearing grandfather who was slightly scatty.Some of the more scientific details went way over my head. Luckily they did the same for Lorna so I wasn’t entirely on my own and there wasn’t many of them.
But her memories of her life from when she was a child, her family life, friendships and relationships swept me up and I longed for her to be accepting of events and find some form of happiness.
A truly lovely novel, with some beautiful characters, with some brilliant names, that took me completely by surprise. I would like to thank the author for sending me the novel to review and apologise for taking so long to read it.
I haven’t read anything like this before. It felt a little strange having God as a main character, especially with the type of character he was. I thought of him as a track suit wearing grandfather who was slightly scatty.Some of the more scientific details went way over my head. Luckily they did the same for Lorna so I wasn’t entirely on my own and there wasn’t many of them.
But her memories of her life from when she was a child, her family life, friendships and relationships swept me up and I longed for her to be accepting of events and find some form of happiness.
A truly lovely novel, with some beautiful characters, with some brilliant names, that took me completely by surprise. I would like to thank the author for sending me the novel to review and apologise for taking so long to read it.
June 19, 2018
I really loved this book and I will be looking to read the next book in the series. Recommended.
May 17, 2018
Contemporary type fantasy isn't usually my cup of tea, so my joy in reading this was actually a pleasant surprise. After reading over the unique description along with a few very promising reviews I decided to give it a go, despite my initial hesitation due to the genre. I like to mix things up and rotate book types. So, more often than not, when I do actually find great books in my not to usual genres' I'm ultimately thrilled to have found them. I'm happy to report that this was indeed the case with Charlie Laidlaw's afterlife tale.
The Things We Learn When We're Dead was a bit slow paced for my taste, but it is contemporary(ish) so knew was I was getting myself into. That said, there are a few qualities about this book that I absolutely loved. The word choices and scene flow throughout is brilliant. I really enjoyed the way Charlie describes things. Even the dialogue is superb. I think it's conversation that really makes this book what it is. In a way I felt like the characters are built through the in depth and witty banter. Especially the main character Lorna. She's someone I could see myself hanging out with. She has a no-nonsense approach to life, along with dry humor and a bit of quirk. Her character feels real, and I enjoyed that immensely!
At the beginning of the book Lorna is in an accident that claims her life. She finds herself waking in Heaven, only this particular version of Heaven is insanely different than anything I've ever read or even dreamed of reading. Be it fictional books, religious reference, or any other way for that matter. Lorna's afterlife is centered in a place beyond all logical comprehension. In my opinion it's unique, and actually kind of genius in simplicity.
Heaven is a spaceship, that happens to be stuck in a black hole. I'd go into the details of this place, but I honestly don't even know where to start. Lets just say that Laidlaw covered every 'what if' and 'how is that possible's' very thoroughly, and once you've read the details... it doesn't seem as far fetched as it sounds and first blush.
Lorna's life on Earth comes back to her through distorted memories. They are hit and miss, some significant, and some not so much. They jump around in frame of time, leaving Lorna confused and sometimes beside herself. Her life experiences are uncovered little at a time, all the while she's trying to adjust to her current living circumstances. Love, family, loss, friendship, and everything in between are unfolded through glimpses of memory. Once in a while I was a little confused, but oddly enough even that was fitting to the premise of the story line.
Ultimately I enjoyed the story and will be looking into the author further. I give it a 3.75 rating.
Thanks to the author and Reads and Reels for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Things We Learn When We're Dead was a bit slow paced for my taste, but it is contemporary(ish) so knew was I was getting myself into. That said, there are a few qualities about this book that I absolutely loved. The word choices and scene flow throughout is brilliant. I really enjoyed the way Charlie describes things. Even the dialogue is superb. I think it's conversation that really makes this book what it is. In a way I felt like the characters are built through the in depth and witty banter. Especially the main character Lorna. She's someone I could see myself hanging out with. She has a no-nonsense approach to life, along with dry humor and a bit of quirk. Her character feels real, and I enjoyed that immensely!
At the beginning of the book Lorna is in an accident that claims her life. She finds herself waking in Heaven, only this particular version of Heaven is insanely different than anything I've ever read or even dreamed of reading. Be it fictional books, religious reference, or any other way for that matter. Lorna's afterlife is centered in a place beyond all logical comprehension. In my opinion it's unique, and actually kind of genius in simplicity.
Heaven is a spaceship, that happens to be stuck in a black hole. I'd go into the details of this place, but I honestly don't even know where to start. Lets just say that Laidlaw covered every 'what if' and 'how is that possible's' very thoroughly, and once you've read the details... it doesn't seem as far fetched as it sounds and first blush.
Lorna's life on Earth comes back to her through distorted memories. They are hit and miss, some significant, and some not so much. They jump around in frame of time, leaving Lorna confused and sometimes beside herself. Her life experiences are uncovered little at a time, all the while she's trying to adjust to her current living circumstances. Love, family, loss, friendship, and everything in between are unfolded through glimpses of memory. Once in a while I was a little confused, but oddly enough even that was fitting to the premise of the story line.
Ultimately I enjoyed the story and will be looking into the author further. I give it a 3.75 rating.
Thanks to the author and Reads and Reels for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 7, 2018
To outward appearances this seems to be a quirky, imaginative science fiction/fantasy mix and, although that’s part of it, the story actually has more layers and goes a lot deeper, exploring issues which include an alternative look at life after death, acceptance, awareness, hindsight and the concept of God.
The Things We Learn When We’re Dead encompasses Lorna’s life before and after her death, in North Berwick, Edinburgh and in Heaven somewhere in space. On the day of the London bombings in 2005, Lorna Love is hit by a car as she returns home after attending a dinner party. Lorna awakens in what she believes is a hospital, albeit a strange one. She doesn’t seem to be injured, no broken bones or even bruises despite her remembering one of the medics saying she had no pulse.
After several days Lorna is desperate to speak to a doctor and find out what’s going on. Irene, a Kate Winslet lookalike, is assigned to her and explains that, yes she is dead and is in Heaven. That is, HVN � a lost space ship, stranded and unable to get home, where those on board are brought there for a reason, captained by a slightly scruffy, bead wearing, goateed God.
Lorna’s memories have deserted her and as she adjusts to her new ‘home,� random objects and places which magically appear trigger memories, dreams and flashbacks of her life and the people in it. Some sad, some unpleasant, others more pleasing but all quite splintered, confusing and initially hard to hold on to. The slow process of regaining her memories shows Lorna’s development on her journey of self discovery, as she sees the impact and consequences of choices made, not only on herself but those around her. There is a particular purpose for her being in Heaven but she must recapture all her memories and reevaluate her life to complete the regeneration.
Written very well, Charlie Laidlaw employs a clever use of words. Laced with humour and colourful characters, the narration alternates between the present and past, switching suddenly (although there are asterisk page breaks) and in no particular chronological order, which took a little getting used to. Some sections felt longer than necessary and hindered the flow at times. I did enjoy the descriptions of life aboard HVN, where you could look like anyone you chose, meals served were always delicious concoctions of a person’s favourite foods and Trinity, all round provider, was always on hand to grant requests and fix any problems.
There’s a lot to get to grips with during the course of the story but overall The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is an imaginative, contemplative, poignant and sometimes challenging read which, in the main, I enjoyed.
I chose to read and review The Things We Learn When We’re Dead based on a copy of the book supplied by the author.
The Things We Learn When We’re Dead encompasses Lorna’s life before and after her death, in North Berwick, Edinburgh and in Heaven somewhere in space. On the day of the London bombings in 2005, Lorna Love is hit by a car as she returns home after attending a dinner party. Lorna awakens in what she believes is a hospital, albeit a strange one. She doesn’t seem to be injured, no broken bones or even bruises despite her remembering one of the medics saying she had no pulse.
After several days Lorna is desperate to speak to a doctor and find out what’s going on. Irene, a Kate Winslet lookalike, is assigned to her and explains that, yes she is dead and is in Heaven. That is, HVN � a lost space ship, stranded and unable to get home, where those on board are brought there for a reason, captained by a slightly scruffy, bead wearing, goateed God.
Lorna’s memories have deserted her and as she adjusts to her new ‘home,� random objects and places which magically appear trigger memories, dreams and flashbacks of her life and the people in it. Some sad, some unpleasant, others more pleasing but all quite splintered, confusing and initially hard to hold on to. The slow process of regaining her memories shows Lorna’s development on her journey of self discovery, as she sees the impact and consequences of choices made, not only on herself but those around her. There is a particular purpose for her being in Heaven but she must recapture all her memories and reevaluate her life to complete the regeneration.
Written very well, Charlie Laidlaw employs a clever use of words. Laced with humour and colourful characters, the narration alternates between the present and past, switching suddenly (although there are asterisk page breaks) and in no particular chronological order, which took a little getting used to. Some sections felt longer than necessary and hindered the flow at times. I did enjoy the descriptions of life aboard HVN, where you could look like anyone you chose, meals served were always delicious concoctions of a person’s favourite foods and Trinity, all round provider, was always on hand to grant requests and fix any problems.
There’s a lot to get to grips with during the course of the story but overall The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is an imaginative, contemplative, poignant and sometimes challenging read which, in the main, I enjoyed.
I chose to read and review The Things We Learn When We’re Dead based on a copy of the book supplied by the author.
November 24, 2017
I was intrigued by the idea of this book when I first read reviews of it. I’m a big Wizard of Oz fan and so the mention of that storyline as a comparible here was what swung it for me and I knew I had to read it. The fact that it seems to be marketed as fantasy and contemporary sci-fi is very much a misdirection as it’s really just a story of a girl who needs to remember her life so that she can learn from her mistakes and find her way back home.
The unusual thing about this book is that Lorna is apparently dead and awaiting her “transition� aboard a giant spaceship called HVN. Sounds weird? That’s what I thought too but once I watched the living Lorna attend a dinner party she obviously didn’t want to be at and end up being knocked over on her way home, it actually didn’t seem that strange when she woke up without a scratch on her in a strange place that obviously wasn’t a hospital! And who wouldn’t want their nurse to look like a young Sean Connery?!
What surprised me more was that this had such a beautifully descriptive narrative that flowed unexpectedly into an insightful look at the fine line between life and death. By being on board HVN, Lorna was able to take her time downloading her memories of her whole life and as they gradually came back to her we were able to follow her life story, watching the highs and the lows, not judging her by her mistakes but watching as they all come together to make the Lorna we meet at the beginning�.at her death.
I loved the concept of the spaceship as Heaven. All The meals served to Lorna were her favourites, and the best ones she’d tasted at that! It was a very cleverly crafted idea, unlike anything else I have read recently. Every aspect of life on board HVN was intricately detailed and explained as the plot progressed and I found it quite thought provoking as I watched Lorna come to terms with what had happened to her. And although I knew how it probably would end, I still found myself wondering what Lorna had to do and what had really happened that day for Lorna to have been one of the chosen ones.
This is a poignant modern day fairy tale with a twist. The unique storyline felt strangely comforting as we followed Lorna on her journey of self discovery within it’s unorthodox setting. I didn’t want it to end and found those final few pages to be quite emotionally charged, leaving me with an unexpected optimism about life in general and feeling very glad that I had read it.
The unusual thing about this book is that Lorna is apparently dead and awaiting her “transition� aboard a giant spaceship called HVN. Sounds weird? That’s what I thought too but once I watched the living Lorna attend a dinner party she obviously didn’t want to be at and end up being knocked over on her way home, it actually didn’t seem that strange when she woke up without a scratch on her in a strange place that obviously wasn’t a hospital! And who wouldn’t want their nurse to look like a young Sean Connery?!
What surprised me more was that this had such a beautifully descriptive narrative that flowed unexpectedly into an insightful look at the fine line between life and death. By being on board HVN, Lorna was able to take her time downloading her memories of her whole life and as they gradually came back to her we were able to follow her life story, watching the highs and the lows, not judging her by her mistakes but watching as they all come together to make the Lorna we meet at the beginning�.at her death.
I loved the concept of the spaceship as Heaven. All The meals served to Lorna were her favourites, and the best ones she’d tasted at that! It was a very cleverly crafted idea, unlike anything else I have read recently. Every aspect of life on board HVN was intricately detailed and explained as the plot progressed and I found it quite thought provoking as I watched Lorna come to terms with what had happened to her. And although I knew how it probably would end, I still found myself wondering what Lorna had to do and what had really happened that day for Lorna to have been one of the chosen ones.
This is a poignant modern day fairy tale with a twist. The unique storyline felt strangely comforting as we followed Lorna on her journey of self discovery within it’s unorthodox setting. I didn’t want it to end and found those final few pages to be quite emotionally charged, leaving me with an unexpected optimism about life in general and feeling very glad that I had read it.
September 4, 2018
What a charming book, with a delightful mixture of the familiar and the strange! It took me a little while to get into this story, but once I did, it was clear it was well worth the time invested. The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is all about choices, memories, and love.
"Is that what love is? Discovering a missing jigsaw piece and finding that it fits? Are we all born incomplete, compelled to search for the lost bits of us?"
Lorna Love is rather untethered when she wakes up in a mysterious, hamster-infested “hospital� remembering next to nothing. Amnesia can sometimes seem terribly overdone as a plot device, but it worked quite well here and the in-universe explanation held up. Lorna finds that she is in a sort of afterlife, brought to Heaven, or HVN, by a group of aliens, and her memories will take some time to come back. The end result is that the reader discovers bits of Lorna’s life along with her as she remembers them, making it easy to step into her shoes and empathize.
The Wizard of Oz references help to keep us grounded in the familiar in the face of an unfamiliar setting, while also hinting at parallels between Lorna and Dorothy. With chapter titles such as “Tin Man,� “Scarecrow,� and “Rainbow,� the references are fun and hard to miss. Also similar to The Wizard of Oz, readers may spot similarities between the people Lorna encounters in HVN and those she’s left behind on earth. The overall effect is whimsical and dreamy.
"Death had always seemed the ultimate full stop and, if an afterlife existed, it would be a place beyond understanding; a spirit domain of ascended souls, where nothing would resemble the mortal world."
There were only a few drawbacks to this book for me. As stated above, it did take me a while to get into it, but perhaps you’ll find yourself captivated from page one, and this was just me. The second was that there were frankly distracting number of comments about various characters� weights throughout the story. Lorna Love apparently has no love for fat people.
This was a lovely retelling of The Wizard of Oz with a modern, science fiction twist. Laidlaw has written an engaging story about choices � what kind of person to be, what kind of person to love, and whether or not to go on in the face of the unknown.
"Is that what love is? Discovering a missing jigsaw piece and finding that it fits? Are we all born incomplete, compelled to search for the lost bits of us?"
Lorna Love is rather untethered when she wakes up in a mysterious, hamster-infested “hospital� remembering next to nothing. Amnesia can sometimes seem terribly overdone as a plot device, but it worked quite well here and the in-universe explanation held up. Lorna finds that she is in a sort of afterlife, brought to Heaven, or HVN, by a group of aliens, and her memories will take some time to come back. The end result is that the reader discovers bits of Lorna’s life along with her as she remembers them, making it easy to step into her shoes and empathize.
The Wizard of Oz references help to keep us grounded in the familiar in the face of an unfamiliar setting, while also hinting at parallels between Lorna and Dorothy. With chapter titles such as “Tin Man,� “Scarecrow,� and “Rainbow,� the references are fun and hard to miss. Also similar to The Wizard of Oz, readers may spot similarities between the people Lorna encounters in HVN and those she’s left behind on earth. The overall effect is whimsical and dreamy.
"Death had always seemed the ultimate full stop and, if an afterlife existed, it would be a place beyond understanding; a spirit domain of ascended souls, where nothing would resemble the mortal world."
There were only a few drawbacks to this book for me. As stated above, it did take me a while to get into it, but perhaps you’ll find yourself captivated from page one, and this was just me. The second was that there were frankly distracting number of comments about various characters� weights throughout the story. Lorna Love apparently has no love for fat people.
This was a lovely retelling of The Wizard of Oz with a modern, science fiction twist. Laidlaw has written an engaging story about choices � what kind of person to be, what kind of person to love, and whether or not to go on in the face of the unknown.
February 26, 2018
I always like it when I don't know what to expect from a book and it surprises me in a positive way, and that is exactly how feel now after reading this one and am amazed how such an unassuming story really connected with me so much!
Lorna Love is training to be a lawyer, but her life plan suffers a major setback when she is hit by a car and finds herself in hospital but this is no ordinary hospital and soon she is being introduced to the facility known as HVN! This facility though is also a spaceship where you can choose to look like whoever you choose - there are many famous faces she meets throughout - and the captain is God who is not like how you think he should be!
Lorna is then faced then with her memories slowly returning and through these flashbacks you see how her life has progressed from childhood through to adulthood, and some of it made for unpleasant viewing from her perspective, but as a reader it was fascinating to see how her choices had shaped the person she became. She needs to figure out the reason why she is there in HVN as God tells her that everyone is at this facility for a reason.
She is left questioning all that she knew and seeing things differently from the benefit of hindsight, and it was such a touching look back at a life especially when looking at her family time from holidays to losing people close to her. It delves into her self doubt, career choices, friendships and how your place in the world can disappear so quickly.
I found this to be quite deep in places, alongside being a fun, quirky read and some of the twists along the way had me reeling which just proved to me of how powerful and insightful the story had become and how involved I became with Lorna and her journey.
Highly recommended!!
My thanks to the author for providing me with a copy in return for a fair and honest review
Lorna Love is training to be a lawyer, but her life plan suffers a major setback when she is hit by a car and finds herself in hospital but this is no ordinary hospital and soon she is being introduced to the facility known as HVN! This facility though is also a spaceship where you can choose to look like whoever you choose - there are many famous faces she meets throughout - and the captain is God who is not like how you think he should be!
Lorna is then faced then with her memories slowly returning and through these flashbacks you see how her life has progressed from childhood through to adulthood, and some of it made for unpleasant viewing from her perspective, but as a reader it was fascinating to see how her choices had shaped the person she became. She needs to figure out the reason why she is there in HVN as God tells her that everyone is at this facility for a reason.
She is left questioning all that she knew and seeing things differently from the benefit of hindsight, and it was such a touching look back at a life especially when looking at her family time from holidays to losing people close to her. It delves into her self doubt, career choices, friendships and how your place in the world can disappear so quickly.
I found this to be quite deep in places, alongside being a fun, quirky read and some of the twists along the way had me reeling which just proved to me of how powerful and insightful the story had become and how involved I became with Lorna and her journey.
Highly recommended!!
My thanks to the author for providing me with a copy in return for a fair and honest review
September 12, 2017
Lorna, a self-confessed agnostic, steps in front of a car and dies. Whether it was an accident or suicide is subject to debate. Lorna wakes up in heaven, but it isn’t heaven in the conventional sense of the word: it is a malfunctioning spacecraft operated by aliens, God being one of them. I found Laidlaw’s concept of heaven fascinating and totally different from my own version of it in Paula Goes to Heaven. Laidlaw’s heaven is scientifically justifiable and would make good sense to many a rational disbeliever.
God, too, isn’t what we have come to expect him to be. He’s a tracksuit-wearing geyser, struggling with his command of the ship and of his crew, especially the irreverent, chain-smoking Irene. He is painted with many humorous touches of the paintbrush, as is his heavenly abode. But the tracksuit doesn’t detract from the fact that he is God: he saved man from self-obliteration by lending his own DNA to us and he keeps a watchful eye over how we progress on earth. He also works in mysterious ways as his reasons for choosing Lorna remain obscure.
Lorna’s life memories are regenerated in heaven: her working class family, her best friend, the flamboyant Suzie, her lovers and the challenging world at large she cared passionately about. She is learning about who she was in life. Laidlaw leads her to a full disclosure with a steady and assured hand.
The Things We Learn When We’re Dead isn’t your average sci-fi book. It is much more than that. It is poignant and philosophical. It will make you think.
God, too, isn’t what we have come to expect him to be. He’s a tracksuit-wearing geyser, struggling with his command of the ship and of his crew, especially the irreverent, chain-smoking Irene. He is painted with many humorous touches of the paintbrush, as is his heavenly abode. But the tracksuit doesn’t detract from the fact that he is God: he saved man from self-obliteration by lending his own DNA to us and he keeps a watchful eye over how we progress on earth. He also works in mysterious ways as his reasons for choosing Lorna remain obscure.
Lorna’s life memories are regenerated in heaven: her working class family, her best friend, the flamboyant Suzie, her lovers and the challenging world at large she cared passionately about. She is learning about who she was in life. Laidlaw leads her to a full disclosure with a steady and assured hand.
The Things We Learn When We’re Dead isn’t your average sci-fi book. It is much more than that. It is poignant and philosophical. It will make you think.
May 3, 2017
I don't read many novels but I really enjoyed this one. It's set in the recent past, mainly in Edinburgh and East Lothian. There are parallels with the story of the Wizard of Oz as the lead character copes with life after death. I thought the characterisation was strong in a pithily related and engaging narrative with sparks of acerbic humour. I also enjoyed Laidlaw's first novel, the Herbal Detective (written as Charles Gray), and look forward to his next.
October 30, 2018
This is one of those books that I could talk for hours and hours about as Laidlaw packs so much into it in such an elegant way. It is a book that I need other people to read because I just need to talk about it! It is a book that I feel will one day be taught in university or high school classes � I took a module in Contemporary Fiction during my English Literature degree and this title would have fit into the reading list perfectly � as there are so many relevant themes and messages within it, such as terrorism, class, race and identity. I’m sure I could read this again and again and each time take something new from it or notice something important that I missed before. I was lucky enough to receive a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and what a pleasure it is when your honest opinion is one of complete positivity and admiration.
Despite being so packed with these afore-mentioned important themes and messages, the structure of this book makes it easy to follow and not rushed in any way. The book begins in medias res as we are almost immediately confronted with the death of the central character, Lorna Love. Lorna then wakes up in Heaven (or a spaceship called HVN) and attempts to navigate her way around these new surroundings. As she does this, she goes through a process called “regeneration�, which is the gradual return of her memories from her life before. The novel, therefore, constantly shifts between life on HVN and flashbacks to her life on Earth but in a way that is easy to follow and is cleverly intertwined as the two explain each other. This means that we learn about who Lorna Love is and what she has been through at the same time as she does and we are brought closer to the character through this shared experience.
I was extremely impressed (and surprised) by the setting of this novel � HVN. It has clearly been conceived by an intelligent mind and illustrated wonderfully on the page. As the book progresses, we learn more and more about HVN � where it is, why it exists and if it is the real ‘Heaven� we talk about ourselves. I could write an entire thesis on how this is done and what I believe to be going on but 1. SPOILERS and 2. it’s not really important. In fact, when Lorna questions whether her entire experience there has been a “dream�, God says, “if you say so,� and tells her to believe what she wants to believe (92%). In other words, the most important part of the story is not where she is � whether she is in Heaven, dreaming, between life and death, etc. The meaningful part of this book is what she learns from it and the messages that are communicated along the way.
The ending of this book is one of hope, opening up a world of possibility. It is one I struggled with originally as I am one of those people that likes everything tied up neatly with a bow at the end � for example, I’m that person who will not be happy if we do not actually see the lovers being reunited a the end of the movie, even if we know they will be eventually. However, the open-ended nature of this book is crucial to the story as a whole, meaning I was able to get on board with it and appreciate what Laidlaw was doing. He uses the ending to illustrate how we, as individuals, have the power to change our path in life (obviously this is within reason, depending on the circumstances we are born into). Throughout her journey, Lorna learns that she could have made better choices in her life and improved it herself. We are left with a challenging question � if we could go through the process Lorna has, seeing our mistakes for what they were and how we could make our life better, would we take that chance? Or, more poignantly, should we really need this experience? Can we learn from Lorna’s and make a change here and now to make our lives better?
My review is also on my blog:
Despite being so packed with these afore-mentioned important themes and messages, the structure of this book makes it easy to follow and not rushed in any way. The book begins in medias res as we are almost immediately confronted with the death of the central character, Lorna Love. Lorna then wakes up in Heaven (or a spaceship called HVN) and attempts to navigate her way around these new surroundings. As she does this, she goes through a process called “regeneration�, which is the gradual return of her memories from her life before. The novel, therefore, constantly shifts between life on HVN and flashbacks to her life on Earth but in a way that is easy to follow and is cleverly intertwined as the two explain each other. This means that we learn about who Lorna Love is and what she has been through at the same time as she does and we are brought closer to the character through this shared experience.
I was extremely impressed (and surprised) by the setting of this novel � HVN. It has clearly been conceived by an intelligent mind and illustrated wonderfully on the page. As the book progresses, we learn more and more about HVN � where it is, why it exists and if it is the real ‘Heaven� we talk about ourselves. I could write an entire thesis on how this is done and what I believe to be going on but 1. SPOILERS and 2. it’s not really important. In fact, when Lorna questions whether her entire experience there has been a “dream�, God says, “if you say so,� and tells her to believe what she wants to believe (92%). In other words, the most important part of the story is not where she is � whether she is in Heaven, dreaming, between life and death, etc. The meaningful part of this book is what she learns from it and the messages that are communicated along the way.
The ending of this book is one of hope, opening up a world of possibility. It is one I struggled with originally as I am one of those people that likes everything tied up neatly with a bow at the end � for example, I’m that person who will not be happy if we do not actually see the lovers being reunited a the end of the movie, even if we know they will be eventually. However, the open-ended nature of this book is crucial to the story as a whole, meaning I was able to get on board with it and appreciate what Laidlaw was doing. He uses the ending to illustrate how we, as individuals, have the power to change our path in life (obviously this is within reason, depending on the circumstances we are born into). Throughout her journey, Lorna learns that she could have made better choices in her life and improved it herself. We are left with a challenging question � if we could go through the process Lorna has, seeing our mistakes for what they were and how we could make our life better, would we take that chance? Or, more poignantly, should we really need this experience? Can we learn from Lorna’s and make a change here and now to make our lives better?
My review is also on my blog:
May 16, 2018
This story is told through a first person perspective. We do get a feeling and sense of who the other characters are and what makes them tick, but it is Lorna that we really get to know well. Everyone else is presented through her perspective, and any hurts or happiness they may perceive are filtered through her. She seems to be your average young adult going through life and the changes brought on at each new phase.
At the opening of the story, Lorna is a sad, confused young lady and she makes us want to understand why she is that way. What events have led up to this lost feeling? As her memories unravel, she is revealed to be likeable but fragile and in need of more assertiveness in her life.
An interesting theme that comes up in this novel is class in Britain (or more specifically Scotland, in this case) and how it bears on relations between different people. Lorna comes from a working class background of which she’s proud and doesn’t want to be seen as selling out, whether it’s through who her friends are, what car she drives or where she works. In fact, even in heaven, when faced with the ability to wear and use anything for free, she is reluctant to accept ‘expensive� jewellery.
Lorna doesn’t want to ‘sell-out� but she is very realistic (although often accused of being idealistic) and desires not to be poor. She’s worn clothes from the second hand shop her whole life. She’s watched her father fail to cope with unemployment. She’s observed her mother work long hours for a bakery where she is simply labelled as “staff�. She does not want this to be her future. Her situation is juxtaposed against her best friend Suzy, who comes from a very well-off family. It is Suzy’s father’s Porsche that triggers in Lorna an ambition to rise above her current economic situation.
In terms of pacing, I do wish the story moved quicker. It is a slow-burn story and I felt myself trudging through the first 60% of the novel. However, by the last third, the scenes have been fully set, the main questions posed, hints have been dropped and the reader can more actively engage in the narrative.
The ending is a bit open and I would have liked more closure in that respect. It also felt rushed. For me, the overarching reason for Lorna’s being ‘chosen� to go to heaven could do with some more meat.
Speaking of heaven or HVN, as the ship is really known, the explanation for how it came into being and how humanity came to interpret the existence of God is clever and funny. The concept of evolution gets a bit of a revamp, and I found that aspect really entertaining. When trying to explain how heaven works, there are some interesting space-science bits described. Most of it was totally lost on me, as it was on Lorna! However, those descriptions and explanations are great for world building, and would be attractive to science fiction fans.
Certainly an oddball mixture of elements in this story but for the most part, it works!
I voluntarily reviewed this book.
At the opening of the story, Lorna is a sad, confused young lady and she makes us want to understand why she is that way. What events have led up to this lost feeling? As her memories unravel, she is revealed to be likeable but fragile and in need of more assertiveness in her life.
An interesting theme that comes up in this novel is class in Britain (or more specifically Scotland, in this case) and how it bears on relations between different people. Lorna comes from a working class background of which she’s proud and doesn’t want to be seen as selling out, whether it’s through who her friends are, what car she drives or where she works. In fact, even in heaven, when faced with the ability to wear and use anything for free, she is reluctant to accept ‘expensive� jewellery.
Lorna doesn’t want to ‘sell-out� but she is very realistic (although often accused of being idealistic) and desires not to be poor. She’s worn clothes from the second hand shop her whole life. She’s watched her father fail to cope with unemployment. She’s observed her mother work long hours for a bakery where she is simply labelled as “staff�. She does not want this to be her future. Her situation is juxtaposed against her best friend Suzy, who comes from a very well-off family. It is Suzy’s father’s Porsche that triggers in Lorna an ambition to rise above her current economic situation.
In terms of pacing, I do wish the story moved quicker. It is a slow-burn story and I felt myself trudging through the first 60% of the novel. However, by the last third, the scenes have been fully set, the main questions posed, hints have been dropped and the reader can more actively engage in the narrative.
The ending is a bit open and I would have liked more closure in that respect. It also felt rushed. For me, the overarching reason for Lorna’s being ‘chosen� to go to heaven could do with some more meat.
Speaking of heaven or HVN, as the ship is really known, the explanation for how it came into being and how humanity came to interpret the existence of God is clever and funny. The concept of evolution gets a bit of a revamp, and I found that aspect really entertaining. When trying to explain how heaven works, there are some interesting space-science bits described. Most of it was totally lost on me, as it was on Lorna! However, those descriptions and explanations are great for world building, and would be attractive to science fiction fans.
Certainly an oddball mixture of elements in this story but for the most part, it works!
I voluntarily reviewed this book.
May 23, 2017
This is an uninteresting rip-off of Douglass Adams and his series of books. This author lacks the humor and the thread to keep the book interesting. I do not recommend it.
March 9, 2021
This was a quirky, contemporary, coming of age type story, with a hint of fantasy, fairy tale and science fiction. I did quite enjoy this, but it did feel like a long slow burner. I thought it was well written, in that it was easy to read. Just a bit slow for me.
August 30, 2017
As someone who never reads sci-fi, I thought that The Things We Learn When We're Dead would push me out of my comfort zone, so I was surprised that I found it so easy to read and relate to. I was told before I started it, that it was a modern reworking of The Wizard of Oz. This wasn't really one of my favourite books or films as a child, but I knew it well enough to be intrigued to see what Charlie Laidlaw had done with this classic.
Set in Scotland, Lorna Love (what a great name) wakes up in hospital after stepping out in front of a car, but this is no ordinary hospital. There are hamsters in the ceiling (just look at that cute little ginger face peering out of the spaceship on the cover) and everybody looks like a famous celebrity. Lorna then finds out that she is in HVN, a spaceship where only a selected few are chosen to come along for the ride. So why has Lorna been chosen? Does she want to go on a celestial journey or is there really no place like home?
This is definitely a book to read with an open mind but it's such an enjoyable book that I devoured every page. It was helped enormously by the numerous references to Star Wars which, in my opinion, is the greatest film of all time. Lorna was a huge Star Wars fan as a child, so I loved her stories of watching it with her brother, Tom. As Lorna's life flashes before her eyes, we read about her life with her brother, Tom, and her friendship with the hilarious character of Suzie.
I'm really glad I read this book; I found it fun yet thought-provoking. Who really knows what happens when we die? I don't imagine the afterlife would result in me flying through hyperspace in a spaceship, but perhaps my idea of heaven would be spending eternity aboard the Millennium Falcon with Han Solo... Michelle says, 'Han, I'd really love that!', to which Han replies, 'I know!'
As I had my Star Wars visor on, I didn't always see the links to The Wizard of Oz but, if you're looking to try something new, you'll not go far wrong with The Things We Learn When We're Dead. It's different, refreshing, poignant, funny and as thought-provoking as you'd like it to be. My advice would be: don't take it too seriously, just enjoy your ride aboard HVN.
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
Set in Scotland, Lorna Love (what a great name) wakes up in hospital after stepping out in front of a car, but this is no ordinary hospital. There are hamsters in the ceiling (just look at that cute little ginger face peering out of the spaceship on the cover) and everybody looks like a famous celebrity. Lorna then finds out that she is in HVN, a spaceship where only a selected few are chosen to come along for the ride. So why has Lorna been chosen? Does she want to go on a celestial journey or is there really no place like home?
This is definitely a book to read with an open mind but it's such an enjoyable book that I devoured every page. It was helped enormously by the numerous references to Star Wars which, in my opinion, is the greatest film of all time. Lorna was a huge Star Wars fan as a child, so I loved her stories of watching it with her brother, Tom. As Lorna's life flashes before her eyes, we read about her life with her brother, Tom, and her friendship with the hilarious character of Suzie.
I'm really glad I read this book; I found it fun yet thought-provoking. Who really knows what happens when we die? I don't imagine the afterlife would result in me flying through hyperspace in a spaceship, but perhaps my idea of heaven would be spending eternity aboard the Millennium Falcon with Han Solo... Michelle says, 'Han, I'd really love that!', to which Han replies, 'I know!'
As I had my Star Wars visor on, I didn't always see the links to The Wizard of Oz but, if you're looking to try something new, you'll not go far wrong with The Things We Learn When We're Dead. It's different, refreshing, poignant, funny and as thought-provoking as you'd like it to be. My advice would be: don't take it too seriously, just enjoy your ride aboard HVN.
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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