HarperCollins Publishers | February 2017 | 368 pgs
Source: Library
The Possessions is an extraordinary story of a woman named Eurydice
"Edie" who has an even extraordinary profession that allows her to
reconnect with her clients' lost loved ones. Known as "bodies" among
their profession, they wear discarded belongings of the dead and swallow pills
they called "lotuses" to summon the spirits. Edie has been with the
Elysian Society for five years, which is an unusual record for her. In this
field, she finds success with her careful detachment and avoidance of personal
contact with her clients while she seeks refuge in the lotuses' anesthetic
effects. She has had no problem channelling into the dead world until Sylvia
Braddock.
Sylvia is believed to be drowned in a lake and her grieving
husband, Patrick, goes to the Elysian Society hoping to find a "body"
so as he could reconnect with his deceased wife. Edie should be aware of the
rules set by the society, but for some reason she is drawn to the mystery
surrounding Sylvia and then there is that tube of lipstick passed on to her by
Patrick; an object belonging to Sylvia and that it might help to bring her
closer in channelling Sylvia. As the days go by and the more Edie knows Patrick
through the sessions they have had, she finds herself drawn to him and his
history with Sylvia. What happened to the Braddocks couple and is there more to
Sylvia's death?
Part mystery, part supernatural and part love story, at its core
of this story it is about one's desire and obsession and how it changes not one
but several people's life as the situations arise. Sara Flannery Murphy has
written a very unusual tale in The Possessions; I find her writing and the
premise absorbing and most of all, the profession of being a "body",
in which one could communicate with the dead and this reminds me so much of one
of the Chinese beliefs that it is possible to contact the spirits of the
deceased through a medium among others.
Although I found it to be a little creepy beneath the premise,
surprisingly there are also moments which are filled with hearts and melancholy
despite the darkness/morbidness of death. The Possessions was an original and
an unforgettable tale indeed and I look forward to this author's future release.
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Love the sound of this one! I just finished a book set in Lily Dale, NY, the hamlet settled in the late 1800's and full of mediums and spiritualists. It is a real place that gets thousands of tourists each year.
I'm definitely adding Possessions to my list!
Jenclair - The book you've finished reading sounds intriguing. And Lily Dale sounds like an interesting place to visit!
The Possessions sounds really good, thanks for putting it on my radar. Great review!
I love the sound of this one, Melody! It's an interesting premise and I like the combination of mystery and the paranormal. Thanks for bringing this one to my attention!
What an eye catching cover. I totally love that lipstick color! haha... The story sounds very interesting!
That's an unusual premise and not at all what I was expecting from the cover. I was going to dismiss this one, but now I'm kind of intrigued. Great review! :)
Naida - Thanks, Naida! I hope you'll enjoy it.
Wendy - This book does has an interesting premise, isn't it? I haven't read anything like this so I find it all to be refreshing.
Iliana - That cover is the first thing that called out to me. We always say we can't judge books by their covers but IMO I think they do play a small part, especially to new authors.
Lark - Yes, that cover is sure misleading, huh? But now that I read the book I knew why they've to use that lipstick image. I hope you'll read this book at some point, Lark. :)