If the Spirit Moves You: Life and Love after Death

by Justine Picardie

If the Spirit Moves You is the story of life after death—it chronicles a year in the life of Justine Picardie after the death of her sister, her soul mate, from breast cancer. It tells of the yearning to conjure a voice from the vast silence, of how we fill the space that appears when someone dies, or how the space fills itself, of the bond of sisters that, like an endless conversation, carries on.

Told in a series of diary entries from Good Friday to Easter Sunday a year later, the book is filled with significant characters from the author’s life—her Jewish academic father, who searches for answers to life’s existential questions in the Kabbalah; her Catholic therapist mother; her husband, her children—as well as the spiritualists she encounters and their machines that speak to the dead.

A search for the afterlife in the age of reason, If the Spirit Moves You is poignant and bracing, cosmic and uplifting, all at once.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Biography Memoir, Autobiography, Grief

273 pages, Paperback

First published September 21, 2001

About the author

Justine Picardie is a British novelist, fashion writer and biographer. She is the editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar UK and Town & Country UK. Her 2010 biography of Coco Chanel (“Coco Chanel: The Legend & the Life”) was shortlisted for the Galaxy National Book Awards.

Her eldest son is Jamie MacColl, the guitarist for Bombay Bicycle Club.

Ruth Picardie was her sister.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Ruth Picardie’s Before I Say Goodbye, I was eager to follow up the story by hearing from her bereaved sister, Justine. Ruth died of breast cancer in 1997; Justine writes a journal covering 2000 to 2001, from one Easter to the next, as she asks herself whether death is really the end and if there is any possibility of communicating with her sister and the other loved ones she’s recently lost, including a friend who committed suicide and a sister-in-law who dies in an accident partway through the year. She tries psychics, mediums, automatic writing, and listening to recordings (forwards or backwards). She goes to America multiple times to attend conferences and meet with renowned spiritualists. Sometimes their messages seem real and meaningful, and sometimes she feels like she hears Ruth’s voice, but is she supplying the words herself? In the end she has no solid answers; “Ruth’s death is a mystery. It’s as simple as that. Not that it stops me searching, in circles that lead me back to the place where I started. … Maybe answers are not the point.” Desperately sad, but also compelling.

[Tija Bija · Rating 3 out of 5]

Semi-autobiographical story of Justine Picardie who attempts to connect with her dead sister; she tries to speak with her sisters spirit through various "mediums", Automatic Writing and tape recorders. I was not convicted by any of these methods (especially tape recorder stuff), but anyways it wasn't the goal of this book- to be convinced.

Did not expect that I will (re)discover the fact that a Latvian psychologist Dr. Konstantin Raudive apparently was an OG in "tape recording spirit voices".

I am adding this paragraph just because it felt relatable:

I hate New Year's Eve. I hate the sense of expectation, when nothing will be different tomorrow. [..] I eat and eat and eat. [..]

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

While her sister's memoir about dying of cancer is bursting with life, conversely but understandably, Picardie Sr's survivor's memoir is blanketed in death and grief. I've read some of her fashion columns and she seems a pretty rational , no-nonsense woman, but in this book she is utterly lost, groundless and vulnerable, alienated from even her husband and children in her pursuit of her dead sister.



The single most chiling aspect of it, though, is that it was written three years after Ruth's death, not immediately, as I first thought. What kind of hell must Justine have been going through up until this point?

[Tom Rapsas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written book by a woman who has lost her sister/best friend, and details the writer's attempts to communicate with her via various spiritual channels. She comes so tantalizingly close, and it becomes clear that her sister lives on in both her heart and in her head. A must read for anyone in mourning, as it posits various ideas on just what happens to us after we die.

[Brooding Brook · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having read several fiction works of different authors, I randomly picked this book "If the Spirit Moves You" by Justine Picardie. I didnt even know that it is a memoir. Of all the books I have read, I find this to be the most different, both in genre and in the way it has made me feel while going through the reading. This is perhaps my first non-fiction book. I had a look at the picture on the cover and then flipped over to read the synopsis. "Justine tells the story of life after death"- the line was enough to make me intrigued into the book. Now, if you just take the bare meaning of the words in that sentence, it might mean what's going to happen to us once we are dead. But it is about how the lives of some people are going to change after the death of those they love so much. In the book, the author, Justine narrates how tough and painful it was for her, ever since her sister has passed away because of cancer. While i have already read few books which say so much about the pain and sadness that prevails on losing the loved ones, the reason why i found this book different is because, after losing her sister Ruth, Justine still wants to communicate with her in some way. And this has made her believe in mediums( mediums are people who help in communicating the living with the dead) and many other supernatural stuff. I wasnt aware of any of these things before reading this book and was surprised to know that there are many who believe in and exercise such things. This book doesnt just narrate the pain of losing someone, but the author has done it in a very simple and emotional way that, you will surely feel its all true( if you know how it is to lose the one you love the most) or will get a picture of, how it is going to be if ever such thing happens to you(which i hope not)..

[Kyra · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a week to finish this book despite it only being 230 pages. I feel like it only really picks up around p. 100, where another tragedy occurs and Justine spirals deeper into her depression. It reads as slightly repetitive because there are lots of 'I dreamt of...' entries (ESPECIALLY in the beginning). Past p. 100, she begins to invest more so in her investigation into mysticism and the occult etc, which is really interesting. Picardie interweaves bits of text from varied sources (some from Freudian journals and letters, others from poems and fiction texts), which worked in some places and in others were slightly incomprehensible without knowing the context into which they were written. The writing is nice - a little bit unnecessarily poetic in some places - and I did mark a favourite passage:

This child is warm and real and constant, as alive as my sister in last night's dream; as sweet as her mother's smile in the photograph that is pinned on the wall next to Juliette's bed at home; as loved as any child can be, by her father and Eileen and me and the ghosts that surround us all, tonight, at the end of this long, long strange day. (p. 88)

I really didn't like that this was written in a diary entry kind of format, because it didn't help with the repetitive way in which some of the entries were written. I think maybe if I was a little bit older than I would understand Picardie a little better. I can really empathise with her mental health struggles however, and I liked the way that she isn't always on an upward trajectory, her journey is very bumpy, and is ongoing even in the ending. The way Justine speaks about her sister Ruth is truly heartbreaking (I actually teared up on page 2) and I loved being able to see their relationship through Justine's memories and descriptions.

[Mary Karpel-Jergic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Justine Picardie has opened her heart and mind in this book in an attempt to grapple with the concept of the death of her beloved sister but in doing so has identified that it is more likely a spiritual quest. Her sense of longing for her sister permeates every page and the mystery of death remains just that, a mystery.

However, I think the book articulates well the utter emptiness of what remains when someone you love dies.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having just lost my brother who was three years younger than myself i could understand just how Justine feels. The searching to find them again.
However i do not think we are important enough to have anything after our death, so a lot of this book seemed madness to me, sorry.

[Jo Birkett · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mostly about seances, mediums etc which I didn't realise, not for me.

[Ingrid Van Den Berghe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gestopt met lezen na bijna 100 blz, niet wat ik ervan verwachtte

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting investigation into life after death and some of the quackery - and non-quackery - she found.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Do the dead remember us, as we remember them?’

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells a story about grief and how o e person copes with it.

[Sadie Parks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt terrible for Justine Picardie. Everybody grieves differently. This type of grieving seriously clashed with my own and so the book was a difficult read for me. It's very well written and I imagine it would be incredibly cathartic for those with similar reactions. I hope the family are doing as well as can be now.

[Bighead · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having read several fiction works of different authors, I randomly picked this book "If the Spirit Moves You" by Justine Picardie. I didnt even know that it is a memoir. Of all the books I have read, I find this to be the most different, both in genre and in the way it has made me feel while going through the reading. This is perhaps my first non-fiction book. I had a look at the picture on the cover and then flipped over to read the synopsis. "Justine tells the story of life after death"- the line was enough to make me intrigued into the book. Now, if you just take the bare meaning of the words in that sentence, it might mean what's going to happen to us once we are dead. But it is about how the lives of some people are going to change after the death of those they love so much. In the book, the author, Justine narrates how tough and painful it was for her, ever since her sister has passed away because of cancer. While i have already read few books which say so much about the pain and sadness that prevails on losing the loved ones, the reason why i found this book different is because, after losing her sister Ruth, Justine still wants to communicate with her in some way. And this has made her believe in mediums( mediums are people who help in communicating the living with the dead) and many other supernatural stuff. I wasnt aware of any of these things before reading this book and was surprised to know that there are many who believe in and exercise such things. This book doesnt just narrate the pain of losing someone, but the author has done it in a very simple and emotional way that, you will surely feel its all true( if you know how it is to lose the one you love the most) or will get a picture of, how it is going to be if ever such thing happens to you(which i hope not)..

[sisterimapoet · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Sometimes I find a book on my shelf with no real idea why it's there. This was on my shelf, because it was on a wishlist. But I had no idea why it was on a wishlist. Until a few pages in when Picardie mentioned her dead sister's fashion tastes. And suddenly it all fell into place. I had read about this a few years ago in an article about fashion in the LRB. I'm glad I worked that out - I can sit back and enjoy the book now!)

I've always been fairly interested in death. It seems strange not to be. So its fascinating to read someones account of coming to terms with a death close to them. Its interesting to see the paths people walk trying to find answers, trying to make someone/something that is no more continue.

I found this book far more engaging and revealing than Didion's 'A Year of [book:Magical Thinking|]' which it reminds me of to a degree. Picardie's honest, open and reflective style is a pleasure to read.

[♥ Marlene♥]

Long time ago since I last bought real books. it used to be something I loved, going to secondhand stores and checking out the books. But then I got myself a kindle and with that many books to read so I hardly buy any books anymore.

Now i would if i would live in the US or the UK because here most secondhand books are Dutch and translated and not many English books let alone the books I want.

There are still books hard to get books like true crime so just thinking of visiting the secondhand stores you guys have make me drool.

Anyway. Had to go to the dentist today and once ready I realised the secondhand store was very close so I cycled there and had a nice few hours.

This book I was not really planning to buy. I think I forgot to put it back but in a way it might come handy because I lost my only older sister (still have 2 younger ones) and was visiting her grave today and I miss her so much. It feels so wrong that she is not here anymore. Maybe I can get something from this book.

[Amy Libell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this book as I always feel some comfort when sharing in the grieving processes of others: they remind me that grieving (and going slightly mad at times!) is a perfectly normal thing. However I couldn't connect to this book in the same way I usually do books about grief. I don't think it was to do with Justine or her writing; however perhaps the endless quotes in between her own writing got in the way a little bit. Perhaps it's because mediumship is too much of a leap of faith for me? I'm not sure, and although it was interesting to receive a different perspective of grieving, ultimately it wasn't for me.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an incredibly moving memoir of Justine Picardie's journey through grief after the death of her sister. Her investment into the world of spiritualism is intwined with not only the search for her sister's voice once again, but for her own voice as she moves through a period of loss into one of transformation.

[JT · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, touching, and thoroughly relatable memoir of the grieving process, especially recommended for those who don’t find comfort in traditional religious teachings concerning the after-life.

[JayeL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unbelievably sad how this family suffers so much loss in one year, but very heartwarming the way the author looks for her sister after death.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a long time ago. It is a very good book, very sad and can be a bit confusing at times.

[Sabrina Rutter · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book several years ago and I remember not liking this very clearly. I found it to be depressing and slow going.

[Eleanor Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book I read a long time ago, it is indicative of the strenth of human character. Hardly light-hearted reading, but very well written and certainly moving.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can't say I'm looking forward to this one ...

[Doreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinarily moving.

[Martin Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

so like this book as it goes through the feeling,dreams that you go through when someone dies.

[Pauline B · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 stars.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this exploration of death, the afterlife and communicating with the dead. Although at times it felt a bit repetitive, it is a sweet and genuine search for a lost sister.

[Aly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't go anywhere, boring