Book Review – Soul’s Choice by Kerri Davidson

First published, 2019

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

There aren’t enough stars for this book.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have a new favourite writer. In Soul’s Choice, Kerri Davidson has created an utterly beautiful depiction of the afterlife, balanced expertly with one of the finest descriptions of grief and its after-effects that I’ve ever read.

Spiritual rather than religious, in the story, we meet Amelia – recently deceased and looking in on her family, while facing a number of new realities into which she can be born. Each of these is viewable by Amelia through a series of doors. She has no physical form any longer, and recognises people who’ve gone before by the colours of their souls.

Grieving for her are her husband, Jason, completely shellshocked by his loss, and their teenage daughter, Amy. In the face of grief, Amy shuts down. She consoles herself with food, shoplifting, theft and surly behaviour. Having been a grieving teenager, I can attest to the accuracy of this depiction. Frankly, Amy’s a bit of a monster.

In the beginning of the book, Amy wound me right up. Her closed and selfish behaviour is maddening. The horribly practical manner in which she deals with her mother’s possessions left me aghast. However, as she hit rock bottom, my heart went out to her and I finished up, loving her more than I would have expected.

I felt very deeply for Jason. A committed police officer, he works too much, drinks too much, and is dealing with not only his own devastation, but an emotionally disconnected child. It all felt very real.

I love the idea that the people who matter will always matter, regardless of which life a person happens to be living at the time. Amelia’s encounters in the afterlife were intriguing, uplifting and profound, and I am jealous as holy hell for not having written this story myself. The ending was incredible. I had an idea of where the story might be heading and I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Congratulations, Kerri. This book is a delight.

Highly recommended and looking forward to the next.