"What dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause" -William Shakespeare, Hamlet
Right after we moved to Arizona my mom found out one of her all-time favorite books, What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson, was getting made into a movie. She had an old dog-eared copy floating around somewhere but she bought a new one and dove in for the umpteenth time in preparation for seeing the movie when it came out. When she finished, she handed it to me.
I've probably read it 5 times since then.
I'm not sure what it is about that book that I love so much. I start crying on page 4 and don't stop until I've closed the last page. The love story is painfully beautiful but in the end I think it's the afterlife Matheson constructs that keeps me coming back.
The author spent years researching life after death. The book has a ridiculous bibliography at the end listing everything he read and even a quick skim of the titles makes my head hurt a little. His research was seriously extensive.
Matheson blended all this research into a cohesive, fascinating and gloriously detailed afterlife. I love reading through and picking out the elements I recognize from various world religions. I love comparing his afterlife with my own beliefs. I love just losing myself in the wonder of it, walking through this amazing place with Chris and boggling at everything.
The movie was kind of mediocre. The visuals were stunning but there's too much information in the book to translate well and most of the really interesting stuff is lost. I own the DVD, but it's not one I usually recommend to people. The book, however, is constantly getting loaned out. It's a book that touches you and makes you think. You walk away having learned things without realizing that's what you were doing. It's been a favorite for a long time and each rereading moves me and makes me fall in love all over again.
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6 comments:
I never could decide what I thought about the movie. Sounds like the book is hands-down excellent. I can't read it, though, 'cause I don't want to get all dehydrated in this Texas heat.
I'll have to read the book, it is the movie that we were watching when Blaine and I first held hands, so I ought to read the book for sentimentality purposes!
I'm so glad I could help! I make no guarantees about future blog ideas--you may have wiped me out. (But I hope not; I need fodder for my own blog too!) I never considered reading What Dreams May Come before because I thought the movie was wacko. That was probably my first mistake - never judge a book by its movie adaptation. I loved your description, and the way the author combines research about the afterlife with a love story sounds fascinating. I just added it to my to-read shelf. Thanks!
Didn't even know there was a book (didn't see the movie either though). Thanks for the recommendation - I'll be adding it to my list.
Man, I really need to read more... I've been slacking.
Haven't read the book, but I saw the movie and I LOVED it. I REALLY like movies/books with depth. One that takes you to a place that makes you vulnerable, and touches those places in your soul that you usually protect with your life because they are too tender. I have been through some things in my life that have taken me to some DARK places and I identify with movies/books that aren't just fluff. Don't get me wrong, a little fluff can be FUN, but I really enjoy delving into things with depth. I had no idea it was a book too.
Thought the movie was fair, but now I'll have to check out the book.
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