Dead People by J.G. Mesa reads more like the Handbook for the Recently Deceased than a novel. If you ever wanted to read a book from a ghost’s perspective, this is it.
In 1912, Andrea Landa is murdered by her husband in a jealous rage. Andrea’s death is so violent and traumatic that she is caught up in the Veil, a plane of existence on the edge between the world of the living and the world of the dead.
About to disappear forever, wrapped up in The Mist that carries away spirits, Andrea hears a severe, paternal voice that tells her, “Use your hate.” So she clings to all the feelings of injustice and revenge brought about by her brutal assassination. She evades the Mist and death, remaining in the Veil, continuing on as a vengeful spirit…avenging herself and others. Because revenge is now the only thing keeping her awake.
Andrea is a vengeful ghost who spends much of her time regretting her murder and reliving her life and death. Less of a horror novel than a journal about several different Dead People in the same family, you’ll either love it or hate it. It’s a tale that skips back and forth in history, giving you bits and pieces of the story until you begin to see the whole picture. She starts with how her ghost life is, then about her murder, then her childhood, and being haunted by her father who died in a boiler fire. Because it skips back and forth, I often didn’t know what time period I was in or what state she was in the telling (dead or living).
During her ghost trek, Andrea encounters many different kinds of ghosts and demons. One ghost is a man who tells her she can travel the world and teaches her how to free herself from The Mist, which is an entity that tries to keep dead close to the place of their death. He was the most interesting character in the book to me.
I didn’t find the lead character likeable in anyway and since it’s in her voice, you kinda have to like her to continue reading. If you can tolerate her voice, you will enjoy this book. This is also a very long book, so if you enjoy it, you have a lot to love. This is a translated book from Spanish and although it’s translated well, I had a bit of a hard time getting through it because of jilted or un-natural English speech. I wish I understood Spanish so I could read it in its original form.
Dead People is available in English for Kindle on Amazon.
You can also find out more about the author at: http://juangmesa.blogspot.com.es/
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