'What Dreams May Come' Book Club Review..

Silja:

I went into this book wanting to like it and with willingness to get to the end- while I got to the end I can’t say I particularly enjoyed it. There was so much about it that niggled at me: firstly the story was very confusing- things seemed to come from nowhere and I constantly found myself having to skip back chapters in order to understand what was going on. I also found the structure of the book dissatisfying- I felt like I worked to keep up with Matheson rather than him helping me along- I don’t like books that are a “struggle” to read.

Secondly I found the content and general theme of the book to be quite a massive feat to take on and challenge- the bibliography in the back was quite pretentious and I found Matheson to be quite judgemental in the way in which he envisaged heaven/hell/the afterlife and therefore that’s how it will be for everyone. Heaven for me lacked a sense of place- he only talked about people and dogs being in heaven- but where were the other animals? I didn’t buy the story at all.

Thirdly I struggled to visualise the characters and their surroundings- I wanted to feel grounded and have a sense of place but the book lacked those characteristics for me- I also thought this book was aimed more towards the male population- it was full of science when in essence it is a love story.

Overall I didn’t come away from this book feeling satisfied (especially with the rushed ending!) I want a book to be like a nice meal and you come away from it after having coffee and mints not a doughnut shoved in your face!

Would I recommend it? Sure I guess- but only to men!

Wendy:

I didn’t like this book in the slightest. Firstly the whole direction and structure of the book was so disjointed I found myself regularly confused about who was talking to whom and what was going on. The book didn’t flow as well as I would have hoped- it often felt rushed- it’s like Matheson had read hundreds of books on religion and the afterlife and cut and chopped pieces up to form What Dreams May Come-also the beginning where it stated “only the characters are made up” unsettled me.

I think the book could have been made into a possible trilogy- firstly with Chris going to heaven, secondly him going into hell to find Annie and thirdly their rebirth and finding each other again- why rush?

This book did make me think about my beliefs though which I applaud Matheson for doing- maybe the purpose of this book wasn’t to sell it by the masses but to challenge and stretch people’s minds and views about religion and the afterlife?

Overall I was very unsatisfied with the book and wouldn’t recommend it.

Ann:
 

Unfortunately I agree with the majority for this book- I did not enjoy it. I couldn’t connect or visualise with any of the characters which made me repeatedly skim past chapters until I reached the end! Sorry to say I wouldn’t recommend it or watch the film.

Margaret:

I have mixed opinions about this book- while there were some parts I enjoyed- especially the short and snappy chapters- others I did not. The beginning I found more understandable but it was a bit creepy and unnerving when I wasn’t expecting it. The ending I got totally lost and I couldn’t really connect with the characters. I wouldn’t recommend this book.

David:

I really enjoyed this book- it is my kind of genre so knew I would enjoy it and I love the film. Don’t get me wrong there are some flaws to the story- the predetermined ‘fate’ of suicides (especially when all suicides are different and within their own context like grief etc.) and the end where Chris went (literally) through hell to find his wife and then when she returns he doesn’t see her anyway? All of that for nothing??

I loved the reading references at the end- it linked so nicely to other religions and philosophies which I will explore.

While I think I was heavily influenced by the film – the characters I could visualise and I could picture heaven and hell like the film portrayed- I did enjoy it and would definitely recommend it (but the film first!).

Sharon S:

I don’t have too much to say about this book- I think I imagined it to be completely different so when I read it I was shocked- the story was not how I anticipated! I did start off enjoying it but I grew progressively despondent as it went on. I would not recommend this book or watch the film.

Nick:

I have made my feelings clear about this book with my full review- I like it a lot and it is my sort of taste and interest. I enjoyed hearing the other’s members opinions though and do agree that there was possibly too much research and not enough imagination.

I would definitely recommend this book- perhaps to like-minded people though.

Sharon C:

There’s not really much to say about my thoughts on “What Dreams May Come”, except: hated it, hated it, hated it - overly long and boring.

The main character, Chris, is killed in a car crash and his devastated family are left to grief.  However, Chris is ‘on the other side’ watching them and wants to prove to his wife, Ann, there is an afterlife – she is sceptical of life after death.  The story is apparently conveyed to a Medium who writes down Chris’ story and gives it to his brother, Robert, who Chris refers to regularly and I found this quite distracting.  Unable to cope without Chris, Ann commits suicide.  Chris is desperate to be with her again and sets out to find her.  However, because she has taken her own life, she is not in a good place, leaving Chris to plummet the depths of the afterlife to ‘convert’ her, so they may be together again.  Ann’s character didn’t really develop, so we weren’t able to form much of an opinion about her, but I must say I didn’t like either character particularly.  Chris, to me, seemed to be seeking his chattel; he and Ann had the same interests and did everything together – she appeared weak with no definition and their relationship had no apparent contrast.

The reader is lead to believe this actually happens and is lead through the glories of Heaven and what being ‘good’ could bring us on the other side, then given the contrast of being cast into the fiery furnace of Hell, for those who have not lead such impeccable lives as mortals.  Much of the time I felt I was just reading long passages of description just there to push home the contrasts of the two options available after death.

The story idea was an interesting concept and I was keen to read it, but what I thought was going to be a tender love story with Chris reaching out to Ann, turned out to be a religious diatribe trying to convert the reader to the concept of the good going to Heaven, leaving the rest of us in Hell.