Sum

This is a book that begs for comparison to [b:Einstein's Dreams 14376 Einstein's Dreams Alan Lightman https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386925066s/14376.jpg 1820798]. It's got the same sort of dreamy, poetic prose, and the same short vignettes comparing multiple possibilities. Sum collects very short, usually 2-3 pages, conceptions of what the afterlife may look like. It's an interesting exploration of religion, god(s), myth, consciousness, reality, and origin. In some, there is a creator, while some have no creator. Sometimes there is no afterlife. Sometimes we are the afterlife. Maybe we never existed at all. I especially liked the one where God puts Mary Shelley (literally) on a pedestal because after reading Frankenstein He knows that she is only person who can understand how He feels after both creating life, and losing control of that creation.This book is adorable and beautifully written, and very quick to get through. I was impressed at how every story felt different.