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The Possessions
In an unnamed city, the Elysian Society allows paying clients to reconnect with their lost loved ones. The workers, known as bodies, spend their days in a numb routine, wearing the discarded belongings of the dead and swallowing pills to summon spirits.
Edie has been a body for five years, an unusual record. Her success depends on her carefulness. When she channels the wife of Patrick Braddock, an enigmatic widower, she becomes obsessed with the glamorous couple. Despite the strange circumstances surrounding Sylvia Braddock's death, Edie pursues Patrick outside the Elysian Society walls, moving deeper into his life.
After years of hiding, Edie can't tell whether she's falling in love or whether she's being possessed by Sylvia. She takes increasing risks to keep Patrick within her grasp. But as a disturbing murder case brings attention to the Elysian Society, Edie feels her quiet life unraveling. She grapples with both Sylvia's growing influence and with her own long-buried secrets.
Edie has been a body for five years, an unusual record. Her success depends on her carefulness. When she channels the wife of Patrick Braddock, an enigmatic widower, she becomes obsessed with the glamorous couple. Despite the strange circumstances surrounding Sylvia Braddock's death, Edie pursues Patrick outside the Elysian Society walls, moving deeper into his life.
After years of hiding, Edie can't tell whether she's falling in love or whether she's being possessed by Sylvia. She takes increasing risks to keep Patrick within her grasp. But as a disturbing murder case brings attention to the Elysian Society, Edie feels her quiet life unraveling. She grapples with both Sylvia's growing influence and with her own long-buried secrets.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published February 7, 2017
183 people are currently reading
6893 people want to read
About the author
Sara Flannery Murphy
3 books373 followersSara Flannery Murphy was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. When she was growing up, her family divided their time between Little Rock and Eureka Springs, a small town in the Ozark Mountains. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Washington University in St. Louis. Currently, Murphy lives in Utah with her husband and their two young sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 746 reviews
October 19, 2025
The first time I meet Patrick Braddock, I’m wearing his wife’s lipstick. The color is exactly wrong for me. Deep, ripe plum, nearly purple, the type of harsh shade that beautiful women wear to prove they can get away with anything. Against my ordinary features, the lipstick is as severe as a bloodstain. I feel like a misbehaving child trying on her mother’s makeup.Eurydice rents by the hour, but not in the usual way. She is a body, gainfully employed by the Elysian Society. When she takes a certain pill, called a lotus, she becomes a channel to the afterlife, a link between the living and the expired. Parents miss their child? Children miss their parents? Spouses, relatives, friends, lovers miss the loved ones who have ceased to be? Come on down. (No mention of anyone missing their Norwegian Blue) For the duration of the session the body is inhabited, by someone else’s spirit, allowing the living to spend time with one who has passed on.
In the photo of Sylvia Braddock that lies on my bedroom floor, the lipstick looks perfect
Turnover in this line of work is high. Eurydice, Edie, a twenty-something, has worked as a body for five years, a pretty long time for anyone to be nailed to this particular perch. She presents as a fairly monochromatic presence, average looks, pedestrian sense of style, no apparent interests or connections. But when hunky attorney Patrick Braddock comes to Room 12, desperate to reconnect with his demised wife, life takes on a bit of color.
Sara Flannery Murphy - from her site
Eurydice is deliciously named. There are diverse versions of the story, but the Eurydice of myth was an oak nymph or a daughter of Apollo, and wife of Orpheus. She met an untimely end, and Orpheus used his skills to try to retrieve her from Hades. The lotus pills that the bodies take recall the Lotus Eaters of Greek mythology, who, lacking the mind-numbing cornucopia that is modern mass entertainment, spent far too much time under the influence of a certain plant, the lotus, which induces a narcotic and possibly psychotropic state. Sylvia, Patrick’s bucket kicker ex wife, has a name that means spirit of the wood, so I am going with the oak nymph thing for Edie. The Elysian Society is named for the Elysian Fields, also of Greek mythology. It was where the souls of the good and the brave went to their final rest. However, in this tale there is little rest for those who have shuffled off this mortal coil. I guess that makes it more of a spring.
There are two primary mysteries in this psychological thriller. What’s the deal with the recently deceased young woman, dubbed Hopeful Doe, found with an unplanned concavity in her skull? And what’s the deal with Eurydice, who had made herself an antisocial cipher? What is she hiding?
One thing Edie is not any good at hiding is that Patrick, a regular Elysian Society client, makes her hormones go Voom. How much of Patrick’s attention is to her as Eurydice, and how much is his continued attachment to a wife who really is an ex? Can you have an honest love affair if what you see in front of you is him and what he sees in front of him is her? Obsession is strange that way.
Part of the channeling deal is that the client brings the body objects that belonged to the choir-invisible singer. One particularly powerful object is a tube of garish lipstick, a talismanic tool that seems to bring Sylvia back with a passion. Edie has no recollection of what happens during the sessions, but her interest in Patrick leads her to want to know more about Sylvia. Edie keeps finding out bits and pieces, about Patrick, about Sylvia, about the Elysian Society, and about the bereft of life Hopeful Doe, slowly parting the curtains on dark deeds.
The chapters shorten, the alternating scenes flip back and forth, the peril mounts, and, as one might expect, things race along to an exciting conclusion, as we get more and more details, and find out which of the briney smoked kippers are red and which are true. It is a bit tough to classify The Possessions. There is definitely a fantasy element to it. I suppose one might consider that science-fiction-y, or even a candidate for the horror shelf. It has a strong mystery element, and feels noir-ish. The best overall fit is psychological thriller. If categorization is important to you, good luck. It is like trying to fit a five-dimensional object into a three dimensional hole. There are even some literary tones that sound here and there. I could swear I caught a whiff of Rebecca.
As for gripes. I was not all that taken with the ultimate explanations for some of the several mysteries. Edie offered nothing about her own story until the very end. I thought that should have been teased in a bit earlier. Some of the decisions Edie makes were highly questionable, and I wanted to learn more about some of the secondary characters. So, the floral arrangements could have used one more pass. But the thing that shook me senseless here was the concept, and that made the rest very forgivable.
What grabbed me about this and had me bellowing into the phone was that this looked to me an awful lot like a potential franchise opener. The questions kept appearing in my head like a pop-up video marathon on meth. I wander off at length about that in the EXTRA EXTRA STUFF section at the bottom, so am giving it short shrift here. Suffice it to say that I found the author’s core concept of bodies as vessels for those who are no more to be killer material.
As experiences with mediums go, this one is extra large. If you are pining for a fast, fun read, once you begin, you may need a good, stiff drink, because you won’t rest in peace until The Possessions has crossed over from being a TBR item to becoming an ex-read.
Review first posted – 9/9/16
Publication date - 2/7/2017
==========In the summer of 2019 GR reduced the allowable review size by 25%, from 20,000 to 15,000 characters. In order to accommodate the text beyond that I have moved it to the comments section directly below.
February 17, 2017
Eurydice (Edie) works as a "body" for the Elysian Society, a private business that reunites paying clients with their deceased loved ones. By donning items that once belonged to the dead and swallowing a pill called a lotus, Edie slips into a state akin to being unconscious while her body is overtaken by a dead person's spirit. Her latest client, Patrick Braddock, wishes to speak with his deceased wife, Sylvia. Edie obliges, but the more she gives her body over to Sylvia, the blurrier the line between their two lives becomes.
Kneading my hair during a shower one night, I become aware that I'm touching a stranger's body. As limp and heavy as an animal's stripped pelt. A corpse's hair.
The greatest element of The Possessions is the writing. Everything is sharp and sensory, concise and immediate.
I hesitated. "I'm single at the moment."
"At the moment," she repeated. "But you'd like to meet someone." Her tone shifted into a glossy lightness, with an edge to it. A piece of shiny foil with a sharp tip.
"I prefer to be on my own," I said.
The lipstick on my mouth is soft, intimate pressure. Its tip is blunted from use. There's a subtle taste lingering beneath the medicinal sweetness. Sour and human. I think of the saliva and skin particles that must linger on the lipstick's surface.
Nausea clenches at my jaw.
The author is adept at depicting sexual desire in ways that are exquisite for being sublimely understated.
He lifts his sandwich to his mouth. When he lowers his hands, a dab of grease stays on his cheek. He flicks his thumb across the spot, then sucks his finger clean. I look at his glistening fingertip and cross my legs beneath the table.
As far as protagonists go, Edie is about as interesting as a blank piece of paper. On the one hand, her simplicity makes her dull and lifeless; on the other hand, her decision to work as a body - her willingness to gift herself to other people to help ease their grief - makes her a respectable martyr. However, any redeeming merit found in her sacrifice is faded by her eventual revelation that .
Since I joined the Elysian Society, my emotions have evolved. They've gone from unwieldy to finely attuned. Ready to snap into nothingness. What used to be a struggle is now a reflex.
Carefully guarded secrets and mysteries are teased out and unraveled in slow and subtle steps, like a spider creeping over one's skin. If readers aren't paying attention, they may not even notice it. The overall pacing of The Possessions is so casual that it's liable to lower the blood pressure of its readers. It rarely feels as though the story is building toward anything. The stakes are low. And the payoff is minimal.
Sharp writing meets tepid pacing in this debut literary thriller.
Kneading my hair during a shower one night, I become aware that I'm touching a stranger's body. As limp and heavy as an animal's stripped pelt. A corpse's hair.
The greatest element of The Possessions is the writing. Everything is sharp and sensory, concise and immediate.
I hesitated. "I'm single at the moment."
"At the moment," she repeated. "But you'd like to meet someone." Her tone shifted into a glossy lightness, with an edge to it. A piece of shiny foil with a sharp tip.
"I prefer to be on my own," I said.
The lipstick on my mouth is soft, intimate pressure. Its tip is blunted from use. There's a subtle taste lingering beneath the medicinal sweetness. Sour and human. I think of the saliva and skin particles that must linger on the lipstick's surface.
Nausea clenches at my jaw.
The author is adept at depicting sexual desire in ways that are exquisite for being sublimely understated.
He lifts his sandwich to his mouth. When he lowers his hands, a dab of grease stays on his cheek. He flicks his thumb across the spot, then sucks his finger clean. I look at his glistening fingertip and cross my legs beneath the table.
As far as protagonists go, Edie is about as interesting as a blank piece of paper. On the one hand, her simplicity makes her dull and lifeless; on the other hand, her decision to work as a body - her willingness to gift herself to other people to help ease their grief - makes her a respectable martyr. However, any redeeming merit found in her sacrifice is faded by her eventual revelation that .
Since I joined the Elysian Society, my emotions have evolved. They've gone from unwieldy to finely attuned. Ready to snap into nothingness. What used to be a struggle is now a reflex.
Carefully guarded secrets and mysteries are teased out and unraveled in slow and subtle steps, like a spider creeping over one's skin. If readers aren't paying attention, they may not even notice it. The overall pacing of The Possessions is so casual that it's liable to lower the blood pressure of its readers. It rarely feels as though the story is building toward anything. The stakes are low. And the payoff is minimal.
Sharp writing meets tepid pacing in this debut literary thriller.
August 12, 2018
Review originally published in the New York Journal Of Books: http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-...
Is it better to leave the dead alone or bring them back into our lives?
This question is one of many pondered in The Possessions, the debut novel from Sara Flannery Murphy. The story unfolds in a nondescript modern day city that could be anywhere in America. We follow events through the perspective of Eurydice, or Edie as we come to know her, a Plain Jane employed by the Elysian Society. She works as a “body,” a person who offers their physical self as a temporary vessel for spirits to inhabit so they can communicate with loved ones they left behind. It’s a spin on the old séance story, and a promising one at that.
After ingesting pills called “Lotuses,” bodies go dormant for a period of time, giving themselves over to the dead who reanimate them in carefully controlled situations. The Elysian Society is a business built on selling their services as a form of compassion to those grieving and Edie is one of their best bodies, working steadily for five years in an environment where most employees quit after only several months on the job.
She has a small precise personal life, dedicates herself to the work, and doesn’t stray outside of being single or stationary. But when new client Patrick Braddock shows up one day looking to reconnect with his departed wife Sylvia, it turns Edie’s world upside down. She finds herself increasingly attracted to him during his visits, and also grows curious about the mysterious circumstances surrounding the “accidental” drowning of Sylvia Braddock.
As Edie and Patrick’s relationship grows, subplots meander in the background. The body of a young Jane Doe has been discovered in an abandoned housing development, putting the city on alert. The Elysian Society and its clients harbor many of their own secrets and ulterior motives. Some of the other bodies are conducting sketchy business on the side, and there are unsettling rumors circulating; angry or violent spiritual encounters, sudden disappearances of workers, and full-scale possessions.
And, of course, Edie is hiding her own dark troubled past, something that is teased throughout the entirety of the novel. As pages wear on plots thicken and mysteries deepen, some satisfying and others less than. The main mystery becomes an unsurprising bait-and-switch type tale toward the end.
The novel’s concept is cool, if you can swallow it. The idea of dead souls temporarily inhabiting the bodies of the living is a good hook. Throw in the forbidden love interest with a client and ostensibly you have a ghost/love story hybrid. It’s supposed to also be suspenseful and chilling, though one detects neither of those things while reading.
For the most part the dialogue is good, Murphy’s strongest suit. There are a lot of musings on death, grief, and how the living cope with loss of life. Some of the characters prove interesting, but sadly not the main ones. Edie ends up being a fairly pathetic character; and Patrick equally so at times. Unfortunately, there is much boredom surrounding the two leads and their encounters.
Sara Flannery Murphy’s writing is plagued with problems as well. There is a noticeable overuse of adverbs. The author describes much in the vein of the mundane using exaggerated or sensuous language that hinders the reading experience, rather than improving it. In many spots this junks up the prose to the point where reading becomes grueling, sometimes even grinding to a halt. Murphy likes to show off her vocabulary, and she’s got some real doozies forced into the narrative. In addition, the novel is absolutely rife with similes. In fact, it’s downright relentless. Some of it is even back to back, bordering on exhausting. Here’s one example.
“His concern feels as tender as a bouquet of roses. As romantic a promise as a diamond ring . . .”
The oversaturation of simile in this book is not an overstatement. Turn to any page and you will find three examples on average. Furthermore, some of it doesn’t really work at all, falling flat or contradicting itself. Another example describing a dress the lead character bought:
“The fabric is the green of an unfurled bud . . .”
Two pages later, it has become:
“My shorn dress on the bedroom floor is iridescent green, like the husk an insect leaves behind.”
So much prose proves unnecessary throughout the novel that by the end it is evident the story could have been told much better with far less. Another particular aggravation was Murphy spending over a hundred pages building up to a sex scene that never actually makes it to the page. She opts out, skipping the release of sexual tension that’s been stoked for numerable chapters and going straight to post-coital conversation. There are a couple opportunities later to remedy this, but similar exit lanes are taken before anything exciting or reasonably explicit can come to fruition. The same can be said for the suspense. Scenes that should come off creepy or tense are often a letdown, leaving a reader with the sense of being cheated.
There are plenty of positive endorsements for The Possessions on the book cover; take them with a pinch of salt. This novel exemplifies the increasing problem of mediocrity being hailed as magnificence in the publishing industry. One of the great Elmore Leonard’s most important pieces of advice was “If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.” Sara Flannery Murphy doesn’t appear to consider such pointers with her work. If you happen to believe good writing equates endless similes weaved with big words overused to the point of saturation, then you might enjoy this offering. Others will think it’s better to leave this book alone . . . like the dead.
Is it better to leave the dead alone or bring them back into our lives?
This question is one of many pondered in The Possessions, the debut novel from Sara Flannery Murphy. The story unfolds in a nondescript modern day city that could be anywhere in America. We follow events through the perspective of Eurydice, or Edie as we come to know her, a Plain Jane employed by the Elysian Society. She works as a “body,” a person who offers their physical self as a temporary vessel for spirits to inhabit so they can communicate with loved ones they left behind. It’s a spin on the old séance story, and a promising one at that.
After ingesting pills called “Lotuses,” bodies go dormant for a period of time, giving themselves over to the dead who reanimate them in carefully controlled situations. The Elysian Society is a business built on selling their services as a form of compassion to those grieving and Edie is one of their best bodies, working steadily for five years in an environment where most employees quit after only several months on the job.
She has a small precise personal life, dedicates herself to the work, and doesn’t stray outside of being single or stationary. But when new client Patrick Braddock shows up one day looking to reconnect with his departed wife Sylvia, it turns Edie’s world upside down. She finds herself increasingly attracted to him during his visits, and also grows curious about the mysterious circumstances surrounding the “accidental” drowning of Sylvia Braddock.
As Edie and Patrick’s relationship grows, subplots meander in the background. The body of a young Jane Doe has been discovered in an abandoned housing development, putting the city on alert. The Elysian Society and its clients harbor many of their own secrets and ulterior motives. Some of the other bodies are conducting sketchy business on the side, and there are unsettling rumors circulating; angry or violent spiritual encounters, sudden disappearances of workers, and full-scale possessions.
And, of course, Edie is hiding her own dark troubled past, something that is teased throughout the entirety of the novel. As pages wear on plots thicken and mysteries deepen, some satisfying and others less than. The main mystery becomes an unsurprising bait-and-switch type tale toward the end.
The novel’s concept is cool, if you can swallow it. The idea of dead souls temporarily inhabiting the bodies of the living is a good hook. Throw in the forbidden love interest with a client and ostensibly you have a ghost/love story hybrid. It’s supposed to also be suspenseful and chilling, though one detects neither of those things while reading.
For the most part the dialogue is good, Murphy’s strongest suit. There are a lot of musings on death, grief, and how the living cope with loss of life. Some of the characters prove interesting, but sadly not the main ones. Edie ends up being a fairly pathetic character; and Patrick equally so at times. Unfortunately, there is much boredom surrounding the two leads and their encounters.
Sara Flannery Murphy’s writing is plagued with problems as well. There is a noticeable overuse of adverbs. The author describes much in the vein of the mundane using exaggerated or sensuous language that hinders the reading experience, rather than improving it. In many spots this junks up the prose to the point where reading becomes grueling, sometimes even grinding to a halt. Murphy likes to show off her vocabulary, and she’s got some real doozies forced into the narrative. In addition, the novel is absolutely rife with similes. In fact, it’s downright relentless. Some of it is even back to back, bordering on exhausting. Here’s one example.
“His concern feels as tender as a bouquet of roses. As romantic a promise as a diamond ring . . .”
The oversaturation of simile in this book is not an overstatement. Turn to any page and you will find three examples on average. Furthermore, some of it doesn’t really work at all, falling flat or contradicting itself. Another example describing a dress the lead character bought:
“The fabric is the green of an unfurled bud . . .”
Two pages later, it has become:
“My shorn dress on the bedroom floor is iridescent green, like the husk an insect leaves behind.”
So much prose proves unnecessary throughout the novel that by the end it is evident the story could have been told much better with far less. Another particular aggravation was Murphy spending over a hundred pages building up to a sex scene that never actually makes it to the page. She opts out, skipping the release of sexual tension that’s been stoked for numerable chapters and going straight to post-coital conversation. There are a couple opportunities later to remedy this, but similar exit lanes are taken before anything exciting or reasonably explicit can come to fruition. The same can be said for the suspense. Scenes that should come off creepy or tense are often a letdown, leaving a reader with the sense of being cheated.
There are plenty of positive endorsements for The Possessions on the book cover; take them with a pinch of salt. This novel exemplifies the increasing problem of mediocrity being hailed as magnificence in the publishing industry. One of the great Elmore Leonard’s most important pieces of advice was “If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.” Sara Flannery Murphy doesn’t appear to consider such pointers with her work. If you happen to believe good writing equates endless similes weaved with big words overused to the point of saturation, then you might enjoy this offering. Others will think it’s better to leave this book alone . . . like the dead.
February 28, 2023
This is a paranormal thriller. This book as been sitting on my shelf waiting to be read for a long time because I was scared of this book. I have to say this book is not like any other book I have read, but it pulled me in from the beginning. I have to say this is not a book that will be for everyone. I did not see the twist and my guesses was wrong. The twist I do not think was big twist, but the stuff going on in the book kept me wanting to keep reading. I stayed up late just to finish this book.
April 5, 2017
The first novel published by American writer, Sara Flannery Murphy, is a unsettling tale of a woman who rents her body out to the dead. Edie, our protagonist, works for "The Elysian Society," a private service that lets grieving clients connect with their lost loved ones, through workers known as "bodies." The idea of women, being body possessed, is a hot topic these days among writers. This year, I read similar books "Behind Her Eyes" by Sarah Pinborough and "Repeaters" by Erica Ferencik which also echoes similar themes of obsession, body swapping and deceit.
As much as I enjoyed Ms. Murphy's plot-line, I confess, I was a little tired of the subject and it did not seem as original as it should have. There were serious subjects running through her novel: lost transient young women caught up in a world that values "couples" and "motherhood" more than self; depression due to sterility; and the willingness of some women to conform themselves to what their "man" desires. This young author obviously has the talent, and I would like to see what books she writes in the future, just hopefully no more body-swapping stories. I gave it a 3.5.
As much as I enjoyed Ms. Murphy's plot-line, I confess, I was a little tired of the subject and it did not seem as original as it should have. There were serious subjects running through her novel: lost transient young women caught up in a world that values "couples" and "motherhood" more than self; depression due to sterility; and the willingness of some women to conform themselves to what their "man" desires. This young author obviously has the talent, and I would like to see what books she writes in the future, just hopefully no more body-swapping stories. I gave it a 3.5.
February 7, 2017
The Possessions might conceivably be set in a parallel universe, separated from ours by a mere hair's breadth. In this world, everything's the same – people eat, drive, use the internet and mobile phones, go out to bars, live in shabby apartments – except for one thing. At organisations such as the Elysian Society, the dead can be brought back to speak with the bereaved. Clients pay for sessions with 'bodies' like our narrator, Eurydice (Edie for short); they must bring something that belonged to their lost loved one. After taking a drug referred to as a lotus, the body 'goes under', surrendering to the spirit of the deceased, who can then talk with their partner, relative or friend as though they've never been away. Afterwards, the body remembers nothing. At least, that's how it should work.
Edie has been a body for five years, an unusually long career in this industry. She's the closest thing the Elysian Society has to a teacher's pet: renowned for her reliability, she's the boss's favourite, but has no life beyond her job and is mocked by colleagues for her strict adherence to rules. She succeeds because she has made herself empty and unobtrusive, nothing but a blank slate for spirits to animate. So it's no coincidence the appointment that will change her life begins with the application of uncharacteristically bold lipstick. Patrick Braddock is a handsome young widower whose wife, Sylvia, drowned two years ago; the lipstick is hers. Or, rather, was hers. Edie is instantly drawn to Patrick, and attraction quickly turns to obsession. Soon she's hanging around outside his office and creating a shrine to the Braddocks on her bedside table. And then she begins to feel flickers of Sylvia's presence outside the safety of her appointment room...
There are multiple mysteries here. First, Sylvia's death, an obvious question mark. Second, the riddle of an anonymous murder victim, mawkishly dubbed 'Hopeful Doe', whose violent death and lack of identity make headlines in Edie's town. Third, Edie's own past, which she's scrubbed clean from her memories as well as her records – she's obviously running from something. The fast-moving and very addictive story is replete with symbolism (references to Greek mythology are everywhere) and powerful description (the author evokes heat so well you can almost feel the humidity dampening the pages). The work of the bodies is written in a way that's clearly designed to draw parallels with sex work. The title might refer to the box of Sylvia's belongings that Patrick gifts to Edie, or to the dark rumour, passed around like an urban legend, about the worst thing that can happen to a body: permanent possession.
The Possessions is so entrancing that it definitely skirts five-star territory, but a few flaws kept me from falling head over heels. Edie's relationship with Patrick is a bit too heavy on the soft-focus romance; I could never bring myself to root for them, no matter what Patrick was hiding. And when the awful-secrets-of-Edie's-past reveal finally comes, it's been built up so much that the details seem both anticlimactic and contrived (it didn't make much sense to me that anyone would think she was a terrible person because of this, rather than just feeling terrible for her).
Those reservations aside, this is a really good book, completely absorbing and eminently readable; a very modern sort of ghost story, as pacy as the best thriller and as glossy as a blockbuster movie (it's crying out to be made into a film). Recommended.
I received an advance review copy of The Possessions from the publisher through Edelweiss.
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Edie has been a body for five years, an unusually long career in this industry. She's the closest thing the Elysian Society has to a teacher's pet: renowned for her reliability, she's the boss's favourite, but has no life beyond her job and is mocked by colleagues for her strict adherence to rules. She succeeds because she has made herself empty and unobtrusive, nothing but a blank slate for spirits to animate. So it's no coincidence the appointment that will change her life begins with the application of uncharacteristically bold lipstick. Patrick Braddock is a handsome young widower whose wife, Sylvia, drowned two years ago; the lipstick is hers. Or, rather, was hers. Edie is instantly drawn to Patrick, and attraction quickly turns to obsession. Soon she's hanging around outside his office and creating a shrine to the Braddocks on her bedside table. And then she begins to feel flickers of Sylvia's presence outside the safety of her appointment room...
There are multiple mysteries here. First, Sylvia's death, an obvious question mark. Second, the riddle of an anonymous murder victim, mawkishly dubbed 'Hopeful Doe', whose violent death and lack of identity make headlines in Edie's town. Third, Edie's own past, which she's scrubbed clean from her memories as well as her records – she's obviously running from something. The fast-moving and very addictive story is replete with symbolism (references to Greek mythology are everywhere) and powerful description (the author evokes heat so well you can almost feel the humidity dampening the pages). The work of the bodies is written in a way that's clearly designed to draw parallels with sex work. The title might refer to the box of Sylvia's belongings that Patrick gifts to Edie, or to the dark rumour, passed around like an urban legend, about the worst thing that can happen to a body: permanent possession.
The Possessions is so entrancing that it definitely skirts five-star territory, but a few flaws kept me from falling head over heels. Edie's relationship with Patrick is a bit too heavy on the soft-focus romance; I could never bring myself to root for them, no matter what Patrick was hiding. And when the awful-secrets-of-Edie's-past reveal finally comes, it's been built up so much that the details seem both anticlimactic and contrived (it didn't make much sense to me that anyone would think she was a terrible person because of this, rather than just feeling terrible for her).
Those reservations aside, this is a really good book, completely absorbing and eminently readable; a very modern sort of ghost story, as pacy as the best thriller and as glossy as a blockbuster movie (it's crying out to be made into a film). Recommended.
I received an advance review copy of The Possessions from the publisher through Edelweiss.
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May 10, 2017
3.5 STARS
The Possessions is deliciously creepy and though-provoking debut. It is a story of young woman who for a living, through special drug, opens her body to dead people, so bereaved persons can stay in touch and talk to their loved ones. The premise screams unique, doesn’t it?
It is very hard to categorize this novel because it mixes plenty of genres together and this mixture makes for an intriguing and memorable read. The Possessions is partly mystery thriller, partly paranormal story with a touch of horror and partly contemporary women’s fiction with a hint of romance. For a long time I had no idea where was this story taking me and even though pacing was slow, I really enjoyed this book.
However, there were two things that prevented me from enjoying this book even more. Firstly, while I was intrigued by the storyline, I never cared for characters and I never felt any emotional connection with this story. I can’t go very deep into whys because I don’t want to spoil anything. But let’s say that even though Euridice was one of the most fascinating characters I have read about in a long time, she was also one of the weirdest. Secondly, whole story felt a bit anticlimactic to me. I expected some truly shocking reveal, I-never-see-that-coming twist or a mouth-droping ending that would fit this novel. But there was nothing like that and it left me disappointed.
That said, I need to mention one more thing.Writing was exceptional and had this special intimate quality and easy flow to it. It was a real pleasure to read and I definitely plan to read whatever Sara Flannery Murphy writes next!
The Possessions is deliciously creepy and though-provoking debut. It is a story of young woman who for a living, through special drug, opens her body to dead people, so bereaved persons can stay in touch and talk to their loved ones. The premise screams unique, doesn’t it?
„I haven’t belonged to myself for years; working at the Elysian Society, I see my body as an object on permanent loan. A door without a lock.”
It is very hard to categorize this novel because it mixes plenty of genres together and this mixture makes for an intriguing and memorable read. The Possessions is partly mystery thriller, partly paranormal story with a touch of horror and partly contemporary women’s fiction with a hint of romance. For a long time I had no idea where was this story taking me and even though pacing was slow, I really enjoyed this book.
However, there were two things that prevented me from enjoying this book even more. Firstly, while I was intrigued by the storyline, I never cared for characters and I never felt any emotional connection with this story. I can’t go very deep into whys because I don’t want to spoil anything. But let’s say that even though Euridice was one of the most fascinating characters I have read about in a long time, she was also one of the weirdest. Secondly, whole story felt a bit anticlimactic to me. I expected some truly shocking reveal, I-never-see-that-coming twist or a mouth-droping ending that would fit this novel. But there was nothing like that and it left me disappointed.
That said, I need to mention one more thing.Writing was exceptional and had this special intimate quality and easy flow to it. It was a real pleasure to read and I definitely plan to read whatever Sara Flannery Murphy writes next!
didnt-finish
January 31, 2017Noooothinnggggg haaaappppeennnnnsss for sooooooo loooongggg and the few things that do happen are irritating or don't make sense. OR BOTH.
June 7, 2017
Once I started reading this book it
possessed
me (don't look at me that way! you know the title was asking for it). Anyways, it is such a haunting read, I could hardly put it down.
It revolves around Eddie who works as a "body". Bodies are people who work channeling the dead by taking pills called lotuses, they rent their bodies for an hour and give these services in a business called the Elysian Society. There are two separate and mysterious deaths and what happened is slowly revealed as the book progresses.
The main character reminded me of the second Mrs. de Winter from Rebecca, she had this gauzy personality. Overall, a great book.
It revolves around Eddie who works as a "body". Bodies are people who work channeling the dead by taking pills called lotuses, they rent their bodies for an hour and give these services in a business called the Elysian Society. There are two separate and mysterious deaths and what happened is slowly revealed as the book progresses.
The main character reminded me of the second Mrs. de Winter from Rebecca, she had this gauzy personality. Overall, a great book.
March 19, 2017
2.5 ⭐️
Read
February 15, 2017THE MEDIUM AND THE MESSAGE
By Judge Liberty Hardy
In a “limbo of a neighborhood”, where “the streets are populated with abandoned homes and condemned buildings” sits the headquarters of the Elysian Society. Made of cool white brick, “at a squinting it could be a church, or a museum”. It’s an appropriately eerie setting for a very unusual organization.
The Elysian Society offers grieving clients the ability to reconnect with their deceased loved ones through attendants known as “bodies,” who, with the help of a special pill, becomes possessed by the ghost of the departed. All they need to get started is a single personal item that belonged to the spirit being sought.
In a strange way it’s not that different than a visit to a massage therapist or an acupuncturist – the “bodies” are practitioners who provide a helpful and healing service in scheduled hourly appointments. Of course, as with any profession where people form close bonds, the boundaries between the professional and the personal sometimes become blurred…
Long term employee Edie (short for Eurydice) is one of the most popular bodies at the Society. Her schedule is always full, and she has earned her own practice room, a coveted perk. However, she is overcome by a deep connection for Patrick, an alluring new client mourning his young, beautiful wife. Against her better judgment, Edie defies the Society’s rules and pursues a relationship with Patrick outside of work, putting her livelihood and her safety at risk as details about the cause of Patrick's wife's death begin to emerge. Following along as Edie unfurls their mystery had me on the edge of my seat.
Like the “bodies” at the Elysian Society, The Possessions channels many different forms: it’s a mystery, a romance, a ghost story, and an erotically-charged thriller. It’s a compelling novel that mixes grief and heartache with danger and mystery. It’s a fantastical examination of loneliness and the exploitation of human emotions. And it’s so much fun!
For more: https://www.bookofthemonth.com/the-po...
By Judge Liberty Hardy
In a “limbo of a neighborhood”, where “the streets are populated with abandoned homes and condemned buildings” sits the headquarters of the Elysian Society. Made of cool white brick, “at a squinting it could be a church, or a museum”. It’s an appropriately eerie setting for a very unusual organization.
The Elysian Society offers grieving clients the ability to reconnect with their deceased loved ones through attendants known as “bodies,” who, with the help of a special pill, becomes possessed by the ghost of the departed. All they need to get started is a single personal item that belonged to the spirit being sought.
In a strange way it’s not that different than a visit to a massage therapist or an acupuncturist – the “bodies” are practitioners who provide a helpful and healing service in scheduled hourly appointments. Of course, as with any profession where people form close bonds, the boundaries between the professional and the personal sometimes become blurred…
Long term employee Edie (short for Eurydice) is one of the most popular bodies at the Society. Her schedule is always full, and she has earned her own practice room, a coveted perk. However, she is overcome by a deep connection for Patrick, an alluring new client mourning his young, beautiful wife. Against her better judgment, Edie defies the Society’s rules and pursues a relationship with Patrick outside of work, putting her livelihood and her safety at risk as details about the cause of Patrick's wife's death begin to emerge. Following along as Edie unfurls their mystery had me on the edge of my seat.
Like the “bodies” at the Elysian Society, The Possessions channels many different forms: it’s a mystery, a romance, a ghost story, and an erotically-charged thriller. It’s a compelling novel that mixes grief and heartache with danger and mystery. It’s a fantastical examination of loneliness and the exploitation of human emotions. And it’s so much fun!
For more: https://www.bookofthemonth.com/the-po...
February 10, 2017
'The fear swirls out of my mind, the last dregs of water spinning and sliding down the drain.
I open my eyes and reach for the cup, swallow the lotus. It barely takes any time before I'm gone.'
Eurydice (Edie) has worked for the Elysian Society as a body for five years where she acts as a conduit connecting individuals with their deceased loved ones. By consuming a lotus pill, it allows the "body" to almost disconnect so as to allow the loved one to once again have a physical form. The physical aspects of the body never change, but their mind returns as if they were never gone. Many don't survive in the job for long but Edie is well-suited for it, lacking any emotional connections and much preferring to relinquish her body for that brief respite from the past that haunts her. When Patrick Braddock enters the Elysian Society to reconnect with his wife Sylvia who died almost two years ago under puzzling circumstances, Edie develops an obsession in both Patrick and Sylvia. With each visit from Patrick, Edie retains pieces of Slyvia's memory, helping her assemble the puzzle surrounding Sylvia's death.
'I'm overwhelmed by the thought of all the women who would pour out of me if I were cracked open: swarming like insects, bubbling up out of my mouth. The women who have collected inside me over the years, filling up my insides until there's no room left for me.'
This debut novel is fascinating. Murphy combines a contemporary story with paranormal aspects to create something quite mesmerizing. The entire concept of the Elysian Society and the lotuses is written loosely and never delves into any scientific aspects to explain exactly how channeling is done, but the vagueness still makes it a credible concept. As readers, we don't actually witness what occurs when the lotus is consumed until later in the story which certainly gets imaginations running wild at the idea of taking a pill and giving a spirit free reign of your body. The lotuses themselves and how it's described is incredibly reminiscent of the Lotus-Eaters from Greek mythology and the Odyssey. "Those who ate the honey-sweet lotus fruit no longer wished to bring back word to us, or sail for home. They wanted to stay with the Lotus-eaters, eating the lotus, forgetting all thoughts of return." (The Odyssey, BkIX:63-104) Obviously, this is absent any aspect of channeling the dead, but the notion of becoming mentally absent and "forgetting all thoughts" is rather comparable to the lotuses in The Possessions.
'My reflection lies trapped in the darkening window. A tree branch cuts through my torso, the spidery limbs fanned like veins and arteries spreading outward from my heart.'
The strongest aspect of this story is by far the author's skillful writing style. The elaborate and sumptuous style felt often at odds with the emotionally disconnected voice of the narrator. Edie comes across as a character shrouded in mystery that we're told very little about but this never lessened the strength of her voice in driving the story nor any interest in discovering more about her. The weakest aspect was the parallel mystery that never coalesced quite as natural as it could have but I felt the story would have suffered if it simply hadn't been included at all.
The Possessions was a story that lingered long after I read the final page. Love, loss, and tragedy play expected roles in this tale that leaves you contemplating if you're ever truly able to leave your past behind. Sara Flannery Murphy's debut novel shows incredible potential for brilliant stories to come.
I received this book for free from TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I open my eyes and reach for the cup, swallow the lotus. It barely takes any time before I'm gone.'
Eurydice (Edie) has worked for the Elysian Society as a body for five years where she acts as a conduit connecting individuals with their deceased loved ones. By consuming a lotus pill, it allows the "body" to almost disconnect so as to allow the loved one to once again have a physical form. The physical aspects of the body never change, but their mind returns as if they were never gone. Many don't survive in the job for long but Edie is well-suited for it, lacking any emotional connections and much preferring to relinquish her body for that brief respite from the past that haunts her. When Patrick Braddock enters the Elysian Society to reconnect with his wife Sylvia who died almost two years ago under puzzling circumstances, Edie develops an obsession in both Patrick and Sylvia. With each visit from Patrick, Edie retains pieces of Slyvia's memory, helping her assemble the puzzle surrounding Sylvia's death.
'I'm overwhelmed by the thought of all the women who would pour out of me if I were cracked open: swarming like insects, bubbling up out of my mouth. The women who have collected inside me over the years, filling up my insides until there's no room left for me.'
This debut novel is fascinating. Murphy combines a contemporary story with paranormal aspects to create something quite mesmerizing. The entire concept of the Elysian Society and the lotuses is written loosely and never delves into any scientific aspects to explain exactly how channeling is done, but the vagueness still makes it a credible concept. As readers, we don't actually witness what occurs when the lotus is consumed until later in the story which certainly gets imaginations running wild at the idea of taking a pill and giving a spirit free reign of your body. The lotuses themselves and how it's described is incredibly reminiscent of the Lotus-Eaters from Greek mythology and the Odyssey. "Those who ate the honey-sweet lotus fruit no longer wished to bring back word to us, or sail for home. They wanted to stay with the Lotus-eaters, eating the lotus, forgetting all thoughts of return." (The Odyssey, BkIX:63-104) Obviously, this is absent any aspect of channeling the dead, but the notion of becoming mentally absent and "forgetting all thoughts" is rather comparable to the lotuses in The Possessions.
'My reflection lies trapped in the darkening window. A tree branch cuts through my torso, the spidery limbs fanned like veins and arteries spreading outward from my heart.'
The strongest aspect of this story is by far the author's skillful writing style. The elaborate and sumptuous style felt often at odds with the emotionally disconnected voice of the narrator. Edie comes across as a character shrouded in mystery that we're told very little about but this never lessened the strength of her voice in driving the story nor any interest in discovering more about her. The weakest aspect was the parallel mystery that never coalesced quite as natural as it could have but I felt the story would have suffered if it simply hadn't been included at all.
The Possessions was a story that lingered long after I read the final page. Love, loss, and tragedy play expected roles in this tale that leaves you contemplating if you're ever truly able to leave your past behind. Sara Flannery Murphy's debut novel shows incredible potential for brilliant stories to come.
I received this book for free from TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
March 6, 2017
3.5 Stars
This is a ghost story. I am not a big fan of the supernatural or fantasy. This is also a story about emotional trauma and mental illness; love and lust; grief and loss; personal connection and hope for a better future. I love stories that tackle these very expansive subjects.
The paranormal elements of this tale were described in such a casual, non-dramatic manner, as if they were just part and parcel of everyday living, that I was confused and befuddled during the opening chapters. Once I got a handle on what was happening, I liked it! Rock solid 3.5 Stars
The story takes place in an unidentified year in an unnamed town. Eurydice, better known as Edie to her fellow employees at the Elysian Society, has spent the last five years working as a “body” at the society, helping grieving clients reconnect with deceased loved ones. Wearing belongings of the dearly departed and taking small pills called lotuses to channel the spirits of the deceased, the bodies numb their minds and lose themselves during the process, all the while being extraordinarily careful not to create any personal relationships with their clients.
Edie’s longevity at the Elysian Society – five years as a body is an extraordinarily accomplishment – is in large part driven by her motivation to disassociate herself from her tragic past.
Everything changes for Edie when Patrick Braddock seeks her services to channel the spirit of his wife Sylvia. Her feelings for Patrick blossom beyond the customary body-client relationship and over time Sylvia takes up a very important place in Edie’s life. Both women experience life altering trauma in their lives that force them to seek relief in very different yet complimentary places on either side of the very thin plane of energy that separates life and death.
This read was an interesting experience for me, the very first time I’ve encountered the treatment of channeling of deceased family members and loved ones as a ho-hum occupation no different than being a clerk at the local deli, a small town cop on the beat or a recent college grad with a freshly minted communications degree toiling away at an obscure newspaper outlet. This everyday treatment of bringing back the spirits of the dead completely confused me but once I got to the seminal chapter that brought it all together, I got it!
I liked many of the characters in this book and experienced strong empathy for both Edie and Sylvia. The slow build to fully understanding Edie’s past was well executed, ultimately allowing for a perfect union with the energy of a longing Sylvia.
This was a pretty good debut novel albeit a bit outside my literary comfort zone. If you enjoy ghost stories and the intricacies of human relationships, this one will be right up your alley.
A special shout out of thanks to the Westfield (MA) Athenaeum http://www.westath.org for providing me an Advanced Reader’s Edition of Sara Flannery Murphy’s debut novel The Possessions!
This is a ghost story. I am not a big fan of the supernatural or fantasy. This is also a story about emotional trauma and mental illness; love and lust; grief and loss; personal connection and hope for a better future. I love stories that tackle these very expansive subjects.
The paranormal elements of this tale were described in such a casual, non-dramatic manner, as if they were just part and parcel of everyday living, that I was confused and befuddled during the opening chapters. Once I got a handle on what was happening, I liked it! Rock solid 3.5 Stars
The story takes place in an unidentified year in an unnamed town. Eurydice, better known as Edie to her fellow employees at the Elysian Society, has spent the last five years working as a “body” at the society, helping grieving clients reconnect with deceased loved ones. Wearing belongings of the dearly departed and taking small pills called lotuses to channel the spirits of the deceased, the bodies numb their minds and lose themselves during the process, all the while being extraordinarily careful not to create any personal relationships with their clients.
Edie’s longevity at the Elysian Society – five years as a body is an extraordinarily accomplishment – is in large part driven by her motivation to disassociate herself from her tragic past.
Everything changes for Edie when Patrick Braddock seeks her services to channel the spirit of his wife Sylvia. Her feelings for Patrick blossom beyond the customary body-client relationship and over time Sylvia takes up a very important place in Edie’s life. Both women experience life altering trauma in their lives that force them to seek relief in very different yet complimentary places on either side of the very thin plane of energy that separates life and death.
This read was an interesting experience for me, the very first time I’ve encountered the treatment of channeling of deceased family members and loved ones as a ho-hum occupation no different than being a clerk at the local deli, a small town cop on the beat or a recent college grad with a freshly minted communications degree toiling away at an obscure newspaper outlet. This everyday treatment of bringing back the spirits of the dead completely confused me but once I got to the seminal chapter that brought it all together, I got it!
I liked many of the characters in this book and experienced strong empathy for both Edie and Sylvia. The slow build to fully understanding Edie’s past was well executed, ultimately allowing for a perfect union with the energy of a longing Sylvia.
This was a pretty good debut novel albeit a bit outside my literary comfort zone. If you enjoy ghost stories and the intricacies of human relationships, this one will be right up your alley.
A special shout out of thanks to the Westfield (MA) Athenaeum http://www.westath.org for providing me an Advanced Reader’s Edition of Sara Flannery Murphy’s debut novel The Possessions!
May 29, 2017
Unnamed Narrator (she goes by nom de guerre “Edie,” short for Eurydice, the name assigned to her by her employer) works for the Elysian Society, where the bereaved can visit their departed loved ones in a living person’s body. For UN, the job is bliss, as possession allows her to be literally gone from her own body, her non-life, and the past she never wants to think about again. She doesn’t have to care about any of these people or their losses, either. But then handsome Patrick Braddock, a young widower, starts talking to his wife Sylvia through UN, and UN finds herself drawn into their seemingly perfect lives … and not quite able to separate herself from Sylvia.I’m not sure how to rate this book. On the one hand, it’s an okay literary novel, with a really admirable and brave ending that made up a bit for some of its flaws . On the other hand, I read it because I thought it was going to be a genre novel. And by that measure, it’s seriously weak, with a complete fail at worldbuilding. I’ve read too many books in the past few years that have a single fantastical element that’s just kind of there -- not explored, not thought through, and more distracting rather than really adding anything to the story. This is another on that list.
When the story opens, I assumed that it was set in a future where channeling the dead is real thanks to the “lotuses,” the drug the “bodies” take to empty their minds and allow a spirit in, and because it’s real, I assumed that society was acknowledging it and accepting it. But wouldn’t that be a different world from the one we live in now, where people who claim to be able to talk to the dead are generally viewed as charlatans, so our beliefs about afterlives or what deity to worship aren’t challenged? The reader is told that pretty much anyone can come up with this drug (making it at home, like meth or quaaludes, maybe?), but the Elysian Society is special because theirs is manufactured to be pure and a specific amount every time. And anyone can be a “body,” at least based on the Elysian Society’s hiring practices. So you’d think that (a) channeling parlors might be fairly common, and (b) there might be some kind of oversight of channeling, since these people appear to be acting as grief counselors in addition to allowing their bodies to be used. But over the course of the book, the channeling mythology got vaguer and vaguer. Rather than being common, hardly anyone seems to be doing it -- some anecdotes describe people as having to drive for hours to get to a medium. And rather than trained professionals doing it, it appears to be the least-qualified people drifting into this work, especially at the Elysian Society, which specifically hires the kind of young run-away types who might otherwise end up being prostituted. (By the end of the book, the whole channeling thing had a pretty seedy-feeling parallel to prostitution, except for being so weirdly rare even though it’s so easy to do.)
Plus, even though the channeling is supposed to be real, you can’t channel either suicides or homicide victims “safely,” and murder victims can’t tell you anything useful, anyway, so there have been no leaps forward in law enforcement, either.
We’re also told that some people visit their dead loved ones week after week or month after month, sometimes for years, and I got really stuck on, “But what do you keep talking about with someone who’s dead? It’s not like anything is changing for them … is it?” I would have loved to see a training session, to learn what a typical visit might be like, but since this isn’t a genre novel, and also there is no training, nothing like that is offered.
Seriously, nothing about this mythology made any sense under examination. I was really disappointed by that.
Instead, it’s a literary novel about secrets and escaping the past. And on that level, it was decently intriguing. Obviously, there’s more to Patrick and Sylvia’s relationship than that veneer of happy perfection in the photos Patrick shares with UN. UN keeps hinting at something truly terrible in her own past, the thing she is escaping by being gone from her body and mind for most of her working days, but she keeps it completely hidden for 95% of the book. The pacing is slow, but is tense and oppressive, like a thunderstorm you know is coming but which is taking its good old time while you keep nervously eying those green clouds on the horizon and shivering at the intermittent cold gust of wind. Something has to break. That part of the story, plus some excellently vivid and expressive writing, kept me reading to the end of this book. I was slightly disappointed by what UN’s secret turned out to be, partly because nothing I had to wait until the final 15 pages of the book to learn was going to live up to the horrors I had imagined, and also because I thought she was ill-served in the lack of help offered to her, but at the same time, it was a really good twist because of the way it twined into the Patrick/Sylvia/UN triangle and tied things together.
So I have mixed feelings here. The literary story reminded me of a retelling of Rebecca with its dark atmosphere, blank narrator, and a widower who may or may not know more than he’s sharing with UN. And as I mentioned above, the ending was great. But the genre story … it’s so hollow. My opinion tends to be, either build your fantastical element properly, or ditch it.
I’d recommend this to anyone who likes an eerie, haunting suspense story and doesn’t care about frayed worldbuilding. But if you’re a person who likes to think about worldbuilding and all its possibilities and implications, you should probably skip this. It just ignores and glosses over too much of the channeling, because that’s not really what it’s about.
Still, it’s an ambitious first novel, and I do admire the author for coming up with it.
February 9, 2017
For all my reviews, visit Clues and Reviews
www.cluesandreviews.wordpress.com
Eurydice, known as Edie, works for the Elysian Society, a company that allows grieving people to connect with their dead family members and friends. Known as “a body”, Edie wears something to connect her to the deceased, swallows a lotus (a pill to summon their spirits) and becomes a vessel for the dead. She cannot remember what happens when she is possessed. Edie is successful because she is able to stay detached, but things cross a dangerous line when she finds herself falling in love with one of her clients. A client whose wife died under mysterious circumstances. As Edie falls deeper and deeper, lines blur as her obsession deepens. Who can she trust? Who is the danger? And what can Edie do to save herself when her body is no longer her own….
The Possessions, the literary debut by Sara Flannery Murphy, felt like a mix between a paranormal thriller, a domestic thriller, fantasy, and a science fiction novel. Something about it was very “other worldly”. Something about it was very dark. I may not know how to categorize this book, but one thing is for sure, I was unable to put this novel down.
I loved the beginning of this novel; I was completely engrossed in this completely original plot. The novel opens with Edie preparing for her client. She painstakingly applies lipstick. A colour she would never wear; a colour that Patrick Braddock’s wife, Sylvia, wore often. When she was alive. After meeting Patrick, she becomes obsessed with Sylvia and Patrick’s relationship. Is she falling in love with Patrick? Is Sylvia trying to take over? Who is in control? As these lines blur, another mystery of a murdered woman has a connection to Edie.
I did find that the middle of this novel dragged a bit, but the momentum did pick up nearing the end and all of the novel’s mysteries come tumbling together, weaving an intricate story and calling on Greek mythology to create an electrifying conclusion.
If you are a fan of a novel that will quicken your heart rate with a paranormal twist, you will love The Possessions. I gave this one a 4/5 stars.
THANKS TO HARPER COLLINS, EDELWEISS AND THE AUTHOR, SARA FLANNERY MURPHY, FOR A DIGITAL COPY OF THIS BOOK; IT WAS MY PLEASURE TO PROVIDE AN HONEST REVIEW.
www.cluesandreviews.wordpress.com
Eurydice, known as Edie, works for the Elysian Society, a company that allows grieving people to connect with their dead family members and friends. Known as “a body”, Edie wears something to connect her to the deceased, swallows a lotus (a pill to summon their spirits) and becomes a vessel for the dead. She cannot remember what happens when she is possessed. Edie is successful because she is able to stay detached, but things cross a dangerous line when she finds herself falling in love with one of her clients. A client whose wife died under mysterious circumstances. As Edie falls deeper and deeper, lines blur as her obsession deepens. Who can she trust? Who is the danger? And what can Edie do to save herself when her body is no longer her own….
The Possessions, the literary debut by Sara Flannery Murphy, felt like a mix between a paranormal thriller, a domestic thriller, fantasy, and a science fiction novel. Something about it was very “other worldly”. Something about it was very dark. I may not know how to categorize this book, but one thing is for sure, I was unable to put this novel down.
I loved the beginning of this novel; I was completely engrossed in this completely original plot. The novel opens with Edie preparing for her client. She painstakingly applies lipstick. A colour she would never wear; a colour that Patrick Braddock’s wife, Sylvia, wore often. When she was alive. After meeting Patrick, she becomes obsessed with Sylvia and Patrick’s relationship. Is she falling in love with Patrick? Is Sylvia trying to take over? Who is in control? As these lines blur, another mystery of a murdered woman has a connection to Edie.
I did find that the middle of this novel dragged a bit, but the momentum did pick up nearing the end and all of the novel’s mysteries come tumbling together, weaving an intricate story and calling on Greek mythology to create an electrifying conclusion.
If you are a fan of a novel that will quicken your heart rate with a paranormal twist, you will love The Possessions. I gave this one a 4/5 stars.
THANKS TO HARPER COLLINS, EDELWEISS AND THE AUTHOR, SARA FLANNERY MURPHY, FOR A DIGITAL COPY OF THIS BOOK; IT WAS MY PLEASURE TO PROVIDE AN HONEST REVIEW.
March 9, 2017
I loved every page of Sara Flannery Murphy's first novel The Possessions. The front cover is gorgeous. I can tell you that I had an obsession of my own I couldn't put this book down. What kept me turning the pages was how beautiful the sentences were written with a fresh different idea for a novel. I can see why Sara Flannery Murphy received an MFA in Creative Writing. If anyone has ever tried to write a novel, they will know how hard it is. I will treasure my book in my book case.
The Possessions Is a thriller, ghost story and a study of sexual obsession that will haunt you long after you turn the last page. For five years Edie has worked for the Elysian Society, a secret organisation that provides a very special service. The Society's clients pay to reconnect with their dead loved ones by channelling them through living bodies.
A few lines from the book. I can feel it. Little flashes of strangeness, stepping outside myself. It happens when I'm waking or falling into sleep, when I'm performing a mindless task that doesn't require my attention. A disorientation that renders all my surroundings suddenly too vivid, as if I'm looking around at a new landscape.
I highly recommend reading The Possessions by Sara Flannery Murphy.
The Possessions Is a thriller, ghost story and a study of sexual obsession that will haunt you long after you turn the last page. For five years Edie has worked for the Elysian Society, a secret organisation that provides a very special service. The Society's clients pay to reconnect with their dead loved ones by channelling them through living bodies.
A few lines from the book. I can feel it. Little flashes of strangeness, stepping outside myself. It happens when I'm waking or falling into sleep, when I'm performing a mindless task that doesn't require my attention. A disorientation that renders all my surroundings suddenly too vivid, as if I'm looking around at a new landscape.
I highly recommend reading The Possessions by Sara Flannery Murphy.
February 21, 2017
Sara Flannery Murphy's striking debut tells the story of a woman haunted by her own past who escapes into the lives of the dead. Eerie, haunting, and beautifully rich prose had me turning the pages, but some readers may have trouble with the slower pace at times.
"What kind of person would agree to be the vessel for the love of strangers, day in and day out?"
Eurydice offers a unique service within the walls of the Elysian Society—she connects those who've perished with their dead loved ones. Through the help of pills called lotuses, Edie is a body—a vessel—for her clients. For the past five years, her life has been a monotonous pattern of the same routine, a beautiful escape from her own secretive past. But when she meets widower Patrick Braddock, visions of the future appear bright and hopeful. As she starts to fall for him, helping Patrick connect with his wife becomes less of a job and more of necessity to fulfill her own desires. But was his wife's death an accident or something more sinister? And why does Edie start to feel like Sylvia is starting to take over her life?
"For a crooked second, Sylvia is in the room with me. A drowned specter, white skin peeling away like fruit rind, eyelids eaten into filigree by the fish. And then the impression slips sideways and I become the drowned woman. My skin waterlogged and dripping, hanging in tatters around me."
What would it be like to be able to talk to your loved ones after they pass away? Would you take advantage of such a service or would it be too painful to talk to them but not see their face? This novel asks you to ponder this question and possibly offers a cautionary tale on the effects of such a possibility.
"The first encounter is always delicate, a tricky dance that must conceal its very trickiness. It's my job to feel out the clients' moods without them realizing I'm doing so. Some pretend it's all a joke; some are suspicious, hostile, waiting for the figure to emerge from behind the curtain; some are painfully earnest, willing it all to go smoothly. But at first, all of them, are terrified."
THE POSSESSIONS is a psychological thriller that reads like a suspenseful mystery. Murphy blends a mystery, a light horror aspect, and a women's character journey together, creating a reading experience unlike any other. I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it. Murphy's writing is polished, eerie, and beautiful.
"Even my kindest clients have a certain manner of meeting my eyes, before or after encounters. It still stands out to me sometimes. The sensation of being looked at so searchingly, vacillating between familiarity and disappointment. Just waiting for me to become somebody else."
Murphy's characterization of Edie was what stood out in this novel. In the beginning, Edie's is rather sterile and bland and describes herself as being someone who could be almost anyone. She transforms from a woman running from her past down and into someone who's ready to face what she's done and create her own path. But it isn't an easy journey.
"I’m overwhelmed by the thought of all the women who would pour out of me if I were cracked open: swarming like insects, bubbling out of my mouth. The women who have collected inside me over the years, filling up my insides until there’s no room left for me."
This book was a very unique reading experience for me in that it made me feel slightly unsettled. Edie alludes to the rumors of bodies becoming possessed by spirits who refuse to leave. But these rumors quickly become her reality. Murphy's descriptions of these moments with Sylvia slowing seeping into Edie's life was eerie and creepy and adds a scary twist on this unique story.
The name Eurydice holds significance and I love how it tied in. The origins of Eurydice is rooted in Greek mythology, the story told a couple of different ways. In both versions Eurydice was married to Orpheus, but she's dies tragically and suddenly. Orpheus tried to bring her back to life through the power of his music, subject to one condition: Hades would allow Eurydice to go back with Orpheus as long as Orpheus didn't look back to her on their way out of the Underworld. But he did and because he didn't trust Hades, Eurydice was dragged back down the Underworld. Tragic. I absolutely loved the parallels of this story to this novel. Reading back through this story after I finished the novel made me look at the novel in a completely different way.
There were a few things that bothered me slightly. Some of the decisions Edie made along the way were hard for me to reconcile and completely believe, mostly concerning her attachment to Patrick. Likewise, it was difficult for me to belief that a man, even if he's allegedly deep in mourning, would open his life up to a stranger like Edie whose motives are questionable. Also, several of the secondary characters had story arcs that were partially developed and then later abandoned.
If you're looking for a completely different read, then check out THE POSSESSIONS! Despite my few issues, I really enjoyed the story and the gorgeous writing. If you read it, I'd love to know what you think?
* Thanks to Harper Books for providing me with a early copy for review. This did not affect my opinion or influence me in any way.
If you had the chance to talk to your loved ones who've passed on, would you?
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★★UPCOMING BOOK RELEASES★★
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February 21, 2017
More reviews available at my blog, Beauty and the Bookworm.
The Possessions was my Book of the Month choice for February 2017. (I also got Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, but this was my "primary" book, if that makes sense.) The description, about a woman who earns a living by letting the souls of the dead possess her so their loved ones can speak to them again, was intriguing. The potential added murder-mystery-suspense element added additional promise.
Our heroine, Eurydice, works for the Elysian Society. By wearing an item that belonged to the deceased and swallowing a pill called a "lotus," Edie (as she's known) can step away from her body, letting the spirit of the deceased person speak once again. This is a service sought by those who want to reconnect with their lost loved ones--though no one in the Society ever seems to question if the loved ones want to come back, other than by refusing to work with those who seek to "bring back" someone who committed suicide. She's the longest-running employee of the Elysian Society, and uses the emptiness of the position to hide from a past of her own. One of her new clients comes to the Society to visit his wife, who drowned under mysterious circumstances two years before, and Edie finds herself strangely drawn to him, to the point that she begins risking her job and her well-being by sneaking lotuses out of the Society and going to him as his deceased wife in other circumstances.
Unfortunately, this book didn't ultimately work for me. There's a certain spooky atmosphere to it that definitely worked. The nameless city which almost seems like a ghost itself, the mysterious drowning in the lake, the promise of foul play... It's all very promising. The "blank slates" that the "bodies" at the Elysian Society worked as was also promising, almost a la Joss Whedon's Dollhouse. But I don't think the atmosphere was utilized to its fullest or the promise fully explored.
Ultimately, the hints of foul play and imminent danger don't go anywhere, instead just serving to cover up a "Dark Secret" that really isn't one, and is just people trying to avoid looking bad vs. someone actually being bad. Edie's background didn't prove compelling enough for me to feel it was worth being strung out for the duration of the book over. And ultimately, I felt like this was a book that preached women finding fulfillment through pregnancy--that seemed to be the case with the predominant women featured on the page. The whole book revolves around women wanting to be pregnant and not being pregnant, even if it doesn't look like that on the surface. As a woman who wants to never have children, this was a bit off-putting, because it's presented as pregnancy and motherhood being the only way to not be an empty shell, like the bodies of the Elysian Society. And murder mystery that pervades the entire book ultimately ends up being nothing really worth mentioning. There's also a startling lack of logic into how the "possessing" part of the story actually works. People can do it with drugs as weak as baby aspirin or as strong as heavy-duty sleeping pills. And it can apparently happen whenever. But there's not any logic as to why it only happens to certain people, and why it doesn't happen when people just are trying to sleep, etc.
I usually really like my Book of the Month selections, but this one ended up being nothing special for me. It doesn't live up to any of its promises, and left me wishing that it had just been more.
2 stars out of 5.
The Possessions was my Book of the Month choice for February 2017. (I also got Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, but this was my "primary" book, if that makes sense.) The description, about a woman who earns a living by letting the souls of the dead possess her so their loved ones can speak to them again, was intriguing. The potential added murder-mystery-suspense element added additional promise.
Our heroine, Eurydice, works for the Elysian Society. By wearing an item that belonged to the deceased and swallowing a pill called a "lotus," Edie (as she's known) can step away from her body, letting the spirit of the deceased person speak once again. This is a service sought by those who want to reconnect with their lost loved ones--though no one in the Society ever seems to question if the loved ones want to come back, other than by refusing to work with those who seek to "bring back" someone who committed suicide. She's the longest-running employee of the Elysian Society, and uses the emptiness of the position to hide from a past of her own. One of her new clients comes to the Society to visit his wife, who drowned under mysterious circumstances two years before, and Edie finds herself strangely drawn to him, to the point that she begins risking her job and her well-being by sneaking lotuses out of the Society and going to him as his deceased wife in other circumstances.
Unfortunately, this book didn't ultimately work for me. There's a certain spooky atmosphere to it that definitely worked. The nameless city which almost seems like a ghost itself, the mysterious drowning in the lake, the promise of foul play... It's all very promising. The "blank slates" that the "bodies" at the Elysian Society worked as was also promising, almost a la Joss Whedon's Dollhouse. But I don't think the atmosphere was utilized to its fullest or the promise fully explored.
Ultimately, the hints of foul play and imminent danger don't go anywhere, instead just serving to cover up a "Dark Secret" that really isn't one, and is just people trying to avoid looking bad vs. someone actually being bad. Edie's background didn't prove compelling enough for me to feel it was worth being strung out for the duration of the book over. And ultimately, I felt like this was a book that preached women finding fulfillment through pregnancy--that seemed to be the case with the predominant women featured on the page. The whole book revolves around women wanting to be pregnant and not being pregnant, even if it doesn't look like that on the surface. As a woman who wants to never have children, this was a bit off-putting, because it's presented as pregnancy and motherhood being the only way to not be an empty shell, like the bodies of the Elysian Society. And murder mystery that pervades the entire book ultimately ends up being nothing really worth mentioning. There's also a startling lack of logic into how the "possessing" part of the story actually works. People can do it with drugs as weak as baby aspirin or as strong as heavy-duty sleeping pills. And it can apparently happen whenever. But there's not any logic as to why it only happens to certain people, and why it doesn't happen when people just are trying to sleep, etc.
I usually really like my Book of the Month selections, but this one ended up being nothing special for me. It doesn't live up to any of its promises, and left me wishing that it had just been more.
2 stars out of 5.
January 20, 2018
Eurydice, known as Edie, works as a ‘body’ for the secretive, Elysian Society, where clients come to visit their dead relatives. Edie swallows a pill, known as a lotus, and her body is inhabited by the spirit of a loved one. One day, Patrick arrives, hoping to talk to the spirit of his dead wife, Sylvia. Wearing Sylvia’s plum lipstick, Edie swallows the lotus. Later, when Patrick leaves the lipstick behind with her, she continues to wear it and muses about the attractive Patrick and on what happened to his wife.
This is a novel about obsession and the past. There are really three stories running here – one about a dead girl, named by the press as ‘Hopeful Doe,’ another about the mystery of how Sylvia met her end and the third about Edie’s own past. The real problem I had with this book is that I never really came to care about any of the characters. Was ‘Hopeful Doe,’ a body? Was Sylvia murdered? What is Edie running from? Frankly, I didn’t find I cared too much. This was something of a chore and, had it not been a book I was reading for my book group, I probably wouldn’t have finished it. Not badly written, but neither compelling or creepy.
This is a novel about obsession and the past. There are really three stories running here – one about a dead girl, named by the press as ‘Hopeful Doe,’ another about the mystery of how Sylvia met her end and the third about Edie’s own past. The real problem I had with this book is that I never really came to care about any of the characters. Was ‘Hopeful Doe,’ a body? Was Sylvia murdered? What is Edie running from? Frankly, I didn’t find I cared too much. This was something of a chore and, had it not been a book I was reading for my book group, I probably wouldn’t have finished it. Not badly written, but neither compelling or creepy.
February 24, 2017
3.75 Stars
This was a very interesting premise. While this is usually not my sort of read it was a quite fascinating idea to explore, the whole idea being that a customer could pay to revisit a deceased loved one through a person called a body that takes a pill called a lotus that brings them back inhabiting that body. This was an often engrossing read that compelled me to see how it ended.
This was a very interesting premise. While this is usually not my sort of read it was a quite fascinating idea to explore, the whole idea being that a customer could pay to revisit a deceased loved one through a person called a body that takes a pill called a lotus that brings them back inhabiting that body. This was an often engrossing read that compelled me to see how it ended.
February 15, 2017
3.5 STARS
The Possessions is such a different story. The idea of using another person’s body to connect with a love one that you lost is intriguing. Everyone has lost someone and wishes they have more time with someone they lost and this is one way of doing so. Eurydice, aka Edie, takes her job as a “body” serious, very serious. Usually the body only last for a short time but Edie manages to make it last for 5 years.
Edie takes her clients on to help them connect with the dead. Usually she doesn’t form any relationship with her clients and has never had any memory of what actually happens once she takes the lotus pill. So when Patrick comes to connect with his dead wife she is happy to assist. For some reason she becomes more invested in his relationship with his wife. She puts herself into Patrick’s life over and over again becoming closer and closer to him. I could see where this was heading. Yet, I didn’t see the secrets of Sylvia and Patrick’s marriage. With each twist and turn I was more fascinated by the marriage and Sylvia’s death.
Edie’s history is a total wipe. There are no hints, no clues until the very end. I wish that Sara Flannery Murphy had dropped hints as the story went on. As much as I was curious about Edie her personal story did not seem to have any real effect on the rest of the story. When Edie’s past is told it did make sense as to why she acted certain ways or reacted to different events.
This was an easy read. I found it a fast read. I’d recommend picking up your own copy.
The Possessions is such a different story. The idea of using another person’s body to connect with a love one that you lost is intriguing. Everyone has lost someone and wishes they have more time with someone they lost and this is one way of doing so. Eurydice, aka Edie, takes her job as a “body” serious, very serious. Usually the body only last for a short time but Edie manages to make it last for 5 years.
Edie takes her clients on to help them connect with the dead. Usually she doesn’t form any relationship with her clients and has never had any memory of what actually happens once she takes the lotus pill. So when Patrick comes to connect with his dead wife she is happy to assist. For some reason she becomes more invested in his relationship with his wife. She puts herself into Patrick’s life over and over again becoming closer and closer to him. I could see where this was heading. Yet, I didn’t see the secrets of Sylvia and Patrick’s marriage. With each twist and turn I was more fascinated by the marriage and Sylvia’s death.
Edie’s history is a total wipe. There are no hints, no clues until the very end. I wish that Sara Flannery Murphy had dropped hints as the story went on. As much as I was curious about Edie her personal story did not seem to have any real effect on the rest of the story. When Edie’s past is told it did make sense as to why she acted certain ways or reacted to different events.
This was an easy read. I found it a fast read. I’d recommend picking up your own copy.
February 10, 2017
Favorite Quotes:
The sensation is as unsurprising now as drawing a breath or falling asleep. A numbness spreads across the body, the blood growing sluggish. The eyelids turn weighted. The body is rearranging itself to make room, my consciousness rising and scattering like wary birds sensing an unknown presence.
The sensation of Sylvia’s presence is there and gone, like catching a shadowy movement from the corner of my eye. I’m brushing my teeth. I blink, and my reflection is a stranger’s; blink again and I’m myself.
We stare at each other. My gaze is twice as dense as his. It’s the unevenness of a roomful of people staring at one subject. He must sense it too; he breaks eye contact to look at the floor.
We met when we were both roughened and torn, our hearts tattered enough to snag on each other’s.
My Review:
Edie is employed as a conduit or “body” for channeling the dead for those seeking closure as they mourn their lost loved ones. There are strict rules at the Elysian Society, the agency where she worked, rules Edie had never considered breaking, until recently. The plot was unique, ingenious, and perfectly crafted. The writing was exquisitely detailed, richly textured, vibrantly alluring, and fiercely enthralling. Written from a first person POV, the narrative was smoothly polished and intensely compelling. I was transported and firmly implanted in Edie’s body, or maybe I was channeling her? I believed I even felt her woozy sensations from the effects of her trance-inducing medication. Ms. Murphy has deftly produced not one but three gripping mysteries in a book packed with intriguing characters and a smartly written and pulsating storyline.
The sensation is as unsurprising now as drawing a breath or falling asleep. A numbness spreads across the body, the blood growing sluggish. The eyelids turn weighted. The body is rearranging itself to make room, my consciousness rising and scattering like wary birds sensing an unknown presence.
The sensation of Sylvia’s presence is there and gone, like catching a shadowy movement from the corner of my eye. I’m brushing my teeth. I blink, and my reflection is a stranger’s; blink again and I’m myself.
We stare at each other. My gaze is twice as dense as his. It’s the unevenness of a roomful of people staring at one subject. He must sense it too; he breaks eye contact to look at the floor.
We met when we were both roughened and torn, our hearts tattered enough to snag on each other’s.
My Review:
Edie is employed as a conduit or “body” for channeling the dead for those seeking closure as they mourn their lost loved ones. There are strict rules at the Elysian Society, the agency where she worked, rules Edie had never considered breaking, until recently. The plot was unique, ingenious, and perfectly crafted. The writing was exquisitely detailed, richly textured, vibrantly alluring, and fiercely enthralling. Written from a first person POV, the narrative was smoothly polished and intensely compelling. I was transported and firmly implanted in Edie’s body, or maybe I was channeling her? I believed I even felt her woozy sensations from the effects of her trance-inducing medication. Ms. Murphy has deftly produced not one but three gripping mysteries in a book packed with intriguing characters and a smartly written and pulsating storyline.
August 2, 2016
I was very intrigued by the synopsis and decided to plunge into it. The beginning was good and has reminded me of Aldous Huxley's atmosphere as well as the movie Gattaca.
As readers, we are following Edie, who is able to let dead people reconnect with loved ones through her body. She is cold, distance and doesn't live if not for her work. Until she meets Patrick, a widower who is hiding secrets about his wife death.
To be honest, I was curious and eager until the middle of this book. Then, I've started to ask myself when action will really take place.
Sure the ending is not bad but the author wasn't able to pull me back into her story after she lost me. And believe me, I was really trying to stay hanging to Sylvia and Edie's adventures...
A bit dissapointed.
Lucie
http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.fr...
As readers, we are following Edie, who is able to let dead people reconnect with loved ones through her body. She is cold, distance and doesn't live if not for her work. Until she meets Patrick, a widower who is hiding secrets about his wife death.
To be honest, I was curious and eager until the middle of this book. Then, I've started to ask myself when action will really take place.
Sure the ending is not bad but the author wasn't able to pull me back into her story after she lost me. And believe me, I was really trying to stay hanging to Sylvia and Edie's adventures...
A bit dissapointed.
Lucie
http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.fr...
February 19, 2017
Just a drag. And the big reveal was lame.
The entire book was disjointed and cloudy, perhaps because of the main characters job, I get it. But it was infuriating. The premise was great, but this fell flat. Nothing happens for the vast majority of the book. Because the character is nothing, her actions mean nothing.
Oh, and the choking weeds. How many times do you need to mention choking weeds? A good symbol does not require brow beating.
The entire book was disjointed and cloudy, perhaps because of the main characters job, I get it. But it was infuriating. The premise was great, but this fell flat. Nothing happens for the vast majority of the book. Because the character is nothing, her actions mean nothing.
Oh, and the choking weeds. How many times do you need to mention choking weeds? A good symbol does not require brow beating.
September 1, 2020
The Possessions is a good book for a quiet rainy day. There’s nothing overly shocking about it and it’s relatively slow-paced. I really found the idea of “bodies” intriguing, and I think it was incorporated into the world well, but sadly I didn’t get the detail I wanted. Everything about this book seemed muted to me in some way, and maybe that was the point, but I just found it a little boring.
February 12, 2017
The Possessions had such potential to explore the depths of grief and identity but missed the mark sadly. It's a compelling read and premise but it completely failed to resonate with me. It reminded me of The Handmaid's Tale and The Natural Way of Things but didn't have the complexity or nuance of those chilling dystopias but perhaps I missed the point completely.
September 9, 2017
Engrossing tale of a drug that allows the user to take on the spirit of a departed soul, so that your loved ones can talk to you. The workers who do this are referred to as "bodies", Edie is particularly good at this because she doesn't want to be herself--a perfect blank canvas. It reminded my of The Handmaid's Tale.
August 20, 2017
3.5 stars
Edie is a body at The Elysium Society, which means she takes on spirits of the dead so they can talk to their loved ones. When Edie meets a man called Patrick and takes on his wife Sylvia, she begins to fall in love with him but Sylvia is strong and appears to be taking over more of Edie everyday. Edie is also suspicious of Syvia’s death and doesn’t know if it was as accidental as everyone says.
This was really, really interesting book and concept. The idea of the bodies and the way The Elysium Society is run was fascinating. The mystery behind Edie and her past was also something I really wanted to delve into and uncover. The side plot of Hopeful Doe and who killed her, and her possible connection to The Elysium Society was also captivating.
I had some small issues with this book. One was how little the reader got about the history of The Elysium Society and how the whole idea of the bodies was founded. I would have liked more on that and how it became an accepted part of society, how people realised this was even possible and how they discovered the lotus that gave them the ability. As well as if everyone could be a Body or if it was a gift only few possessed.
I think Edie’s relationship with Patrick happened a bit too quickly. I ended getting a little bit bored in the middle of the book and I don’t think I would have felt that way if there was more build up to her relationship with Patrick.
Edie is a body at The Elysium Society, which means she takes on spirits of the dead so they can talk to their loved ones. When Edie meets a man called Patrick and takes on his wife Sylvia, she begins to fall in love with him but Sylvia is strong and appears to be taking over more of Edie everyday. Edie is also suspicious of Syvia’s death and doesn’t know if it was as accidental as everyone says.
This was really, really interesting book and concept. The idea of the bodies and the way The Elysium Society is run was fascinating. The mystery behind Edie and her past was also something I really wanted to delve into and uncover. The side plot of Hopeful Doe and who killed her, and her possible connection to The Elysium Society was also captivating.
I had some small issues with this book. One was how little the reader got about the history of The Elysium Society and how the whole idea of the bodies was founded. I would have liked more on that and how it became an accepted part of society, how people realised this was even possible and how they discovered the lotus that gave them the ability. As well as if everyone could be a Body or if it was a gift only few possessed.
I think Edie’s relationship with Patrick happened a bit too quickly. I ended getting a little bit bored in the middle of the book and I don’t think I would have felt that way if there was more build up to her relationship with Patrick.
September 21, 2019
4 Stars—This is an interesting mystery. The premise of a company that allows people to legitimately communicate with their dead loved ones is fascinating and I wish there were more details about the lotus and they actual process. Edie is a different kind of character that I enjoyed learning more about throughout the story. I will say that I don’t really like the description where it says that once she channels the wife of Patrick Braddock, that she becomes obsessed with the couple. That sounds so malevolent, when in reality, it wasn’t. Seeing how Edie cares not just for Patrick but for all her clients gives good grounding to the story. The mystery felt very simple, like I should have figured it out long before I did. But it was still satisfying and everything clicked into place. The cover is perfect in every way! Overall, this was an interesting read that I enjoyed and got thru very quickly. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys mysteries.
May 29, 2017
I absolutely loved this book. The very ending was disappointing to me so that's why the 4 stars other than that awesome. Two deaths are being solved, one a murder and the other an apparent sucide, are they connected? You have to read to find out. An institution called the Elysian Society is involved also where a drug is taken by women and they are embodied by your deceased loved one. Read for more.
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