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The Inhabited World
The eighth book from an award-winning and acclaimed author, The Inhabited World is Long's most gripping and profound work.
Evan Molloy -- a son, husband, and stepfather -- fatally shot himself but doesn’t know why. He is stuck in a state of purgatory in the house in Washington State where he lived and died. The woman who now lives there, Maureen Keniston, is in her late thirties and is trying to restart her life after breaking off a long affair with a married man. The novel deftly moves back and forth between the story of Evan's troubled life and Maureen's efforts to emerge from her own purgatory. In watching Maureen's struggles and ultimate triumph, Evan comes to see his own life and death in a completely new way.
Part psychological drama, part absorbing mystery, The Inhabited World paints a stirring portrait of a man caught between this world and the next and a woman who unwittingly offers him a sort of redemption he never could have predicted.
Evan Molloy -- a son, husband, and stepfather -- fatally shot himself but doesn’t know why. He is stuck in a state of purgatory in the house in Washington State where he lived and died. The woman who now lives there, Maureen Keniston, is in her late thirties and is trying to restart her life after breaking off a long affair with a married man. The novel deftly moves back and forth between the story of Evan's troubled life and Maureen's efforts to emerge from her own purgatory. In watching Maureen's struggles and ultimate triumph, Evan comes to see his own life and death in a completely new way.
Part psychological drama, part absorbing mystery, The Inhabited World paints a stirring portrait of a man caught between this world and the next and a woman who unwittingly offers him a sort of redemption he never could have predicted.
277 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
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249 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
July 4, 2011
How is it that a novel about the lingering spirit of a suicide can be one of the most life-affirming books I've read. I'd actually avoided reading this because of the descriptive reviews until a friend convinced me that it was well worth it.
And it is well worth the reading on two levels: the quality of the writing itself and Long's ability to express emotion so carefully and beautifully, as well as the ability to show growth and redemption of the human spirit.
At times the story is difficult but it never takes unkind cuts at its inhabitants who are merely humans (and a spirit) struggling with human problems. It is generous and offers possibilities for the future.
The picture of mental illness and depression gradually taking over a life is devastating but don't let this deter you from reading this novel. That's actually the beginning. There is so much more as well as wonderfully described characters along the way.
The plot is well described in many places and I won't restate it here. I will say the "interaction" of Evan with Maureen made me think, hope and smile.
And it is well worth the reading on two levels: the quality of the writing itself and Long's ability to express emotion so carefully and beautifully, as well as the ability to show growth and redemption of the human spirit.
At times the story is difficult but it never takes unkind cuts at its inhabitants who are merely humans (and a spirit) struggling with human problems. It is generous and offers possibilities for the future.
The picture of mental illness and depression gradually taking over a life is devastating but don't let this deter you from reading this novel. That's actually the beginning. There is so much more as well as wonderfully described characters along the way.
The plot is well described in many places and I won't restate it here. I will say the "interaction" of Evan with Maureen made me think, hope and smile.
July 16, 2024
From back cover: "Part psychological drama, part mystery, part modern ghost story, The Inhabited World is a deeply affecting novel of love, loss and longing"
I found this an interesting and moving story about Evan Molloy who had been dead for nearly 10 years. Evan's ghost remains in the house that he was living in, but can't remember the events that led up to his death. I was expecting a little more creepy ghostly activity, but instead, this was a nicely written tale of a man who is caught between life and death and hasn't yet "moved to the beyond".
I found this an interesting and moving story about Evan Molloy who had been dead for nearly 10 years. Evan's ghost remains in the house that he was living in, but can't remember the events that led up to his death. I was expecting a little more creepy ghostly activity, but instead, this was a nicely written tale of a man who is caught between life and death and hasn't yet "moved to the beyond".
December 27, 2008
The back jacket of this book calls David Long "a writer's writer." Spoken by a writer, this is a compliment, though I see it as a backhanded one. Translation: he doesn't make any money. How many writers are there out there to read each others' books? If all you are is a writer's writer, you're sunk.
What can we hope to learn from a character who is already dead? How can this character grow, change, evolve? These are questions I would have asked had I heard about this book before reading it. Lucky for me, I didn't.
As the ghost of Evan Molloy putters around the house in which he died, he shows us the intimate lives of the living strangers who now occupy the house, while recounting his own history. Juxtaposed, these tales pry apart the mysteries of human action, especially our own actions.
This is a new take on purgatory, one that shakes off punishment and leaves only the experience of life, its game of influence and impotence, as teacher.
What can we hope to learn from a character who is already dead? How can this character grow, change, evolve? These are questions I would have asked had I heard about this book before reading it. Lucky for me, I didn't.
As the ghost of Evan Molloy putters around the house in which he died, he shows us the intimate lives of the living strangers who now occupy the house, while recounting his own history. Juxtaposed, these tales pry apart the mysteries of human action, especially our own actions.
This is a new take on purgatory, one that shakes off punishment and leaves only the experience of life, its game of influence and impotence, as teacher.
May 26, 2014
I found this book fascinating for several reasons. Long is a good writer and I enjoyed an earlier book of his, Falling Boy. I also liked the very ordinariness of the main character and the ordinary problems that have a possibly not so ordinary outcome - suicide followed by life as a "shade" (my term not the author's) It is the life of the "shade" that truly fascinated me. I found myself thinking about the descriptions of what this shade could and could not do and was delighted with the author's descriptions of the limitations and attributes. This does not seem like something that would normally delight or fascinate me.
For example, a shade cannot read a book or even a letter since he cannot turn pages. He cannot read people's minds nor hear the other half of conversations nor cause things to fall off shelves nor cause other mischief the way the ghosts George and Marion Kirby and dog Neil did for Cosmo Topper, a favorite childhood TV show. The life of a shade is solitary and reflective. Most interesting, the shade - Evan - can feel emotion and empathy and sympathy but is helpless to make any difference. He watches a young boy fall down the cellar steps and cannot stop the fall. And although he aches to help, he has no way to comfort the boy's mother as she sits distraught at the kitchen table.
But this is also a book that suggests there are second chances in life - and maybe beyond life. A young woman, Maureen, moves into the house where Evan lives as a shade (his former house) and he desperately wants to help her - to reach out to her. It is through his attempt to reach her that he tells the story of his life and his death. We are left not knowing for sure, but perhaps Evan will have a second chance to die and not be shade and Maureen may have a second chance as well.
For example, a shade cannot read a book or even a letter since he cannot turn pages. He cannot read people's minds nor hear the other half of conversations nor cause things to fall off shelves nor cause other mischief the way the ghosts George and Marion Kirby and dog Neil did for Cosmo Topper, a favorite childhood TV show. The life of a shade is solitary and reflective. Most interesting, the shade - Evan - can feel emotion and empathy and sympathy but is helpless to make any difference. He watches a young boy fall down the cellar steps and cannot stop the fall. And although he aches to help, he has no way to comfort the boy's mother as she sits distraught at the kitchen table.
But this is also a book that suggests there are second chances in life - and maybe beyond life. A young woman, Maureen, moves into the house where Evan lives as a shade (his former house) and he desperately wants to help her - to reach out to her. It is through his attempt to reach her that he tells the story of his life and his death. We are left not knowing for sure, but perhaps Evan will have a second chance to die and not be shade and Maureen may have a second chance as well.
January 4, 2016
I stumbled across this book a few years ago, wandering a bookstore uninspired by anything, finally grabbing this book nearly at random. A few hours later I was immersed in the unique premise, the thought-provoking storyline and the incredible writing. And the main character, Evan Molloy, who could have been any one of a number of friends I've known along the way.
This isn't a self-help book disguised as a novel (though I do wish anyone considering suicide would first read it) or a judgment or statement about taking one's life. And it certainly isn't a sappy story though, of course, suicide is about as sad as it gets. Instead it is about the considerations and reflections of a man, a spirit, who seemingly had everything to live for yet, in a moment of desperation, brought about his own conclusion. And in so doing, brought about so much confusion and pain for those who loved him.
The story takes place in Ballard, a Seattle neighborhood so familiar to me personally that the story draws me even closer. I know these streets and have lived in similar housing tucked in neat rows below a mostly gray sky.
This isn't just a story about a death act or its aftermath, or the cognizance and understanding (the "why"). It's also about the struggle of a spirit ultimately finding an escape from the unimaginable loneliness of invisibility and aloneness in order to move to the next, the final, place along his journey.
Excellent, unforgettable book. Gorgeously written. One of my absolute favorite novels.
This isn't a self-help book disguised as a novel (though I do wish anyone considering suicide would first read it) or a judgment or statement about taking one's life. And it certainly isn't a sappy story though, of course, suicide is about as sad as it gets. Instead it is about the considerations and reflections of a man, a spirit, who seemingly had everything to live for yet, in a moment of desperation, brought about his own conclusion. And in so doing, brought about so much confusion and pain for those who loved him.
The story takes place in Ballard, a Seattle neighborhood so familiar to me personally that the story draws me even closer. I know these streets and have lived in similar housing tucked in neat rows below a mostly gray sky.
This isn't just a story about a death act or its aftermath, or the cognizance and understanding (the "why"). It's also about the struggle of a spirit ultimately finding an escape from the unimaginable loneliness of invisibility and aloneness in order to move to the next, the final, place along his journey.
Excellent, unforgettable book. Gorgeously written. One of my absolute favorite novels.
August 26, 2023
This is a wonderful novel, honest and modern, detailing the heartsick loss of connection, break from hope, and illness leading to suicide, but ultimately offering something kind and strong. I first read it when it was brand new and loved it then.
On this second read I m reminded why, when I was reading and later reviewing Lincoln in the Bardo, I urged people to read this instead.
And the cat. Evan cares about that orange tabby and so do I.
It is not a long book, but leaves the reader with a lot to think about when it comes to making change in our life, about accepting setbacks, forgiving our mistakes and letting go of imagined enemies (letting goo, too, of the real enemies), and muddling along. Not hating the crows but noticing everything that matters. It's not a "Pollyanna" view, but a good view in every sense.
On this second read I m reminded why, when I was reading and later reviewing Lincoln in the Bardo, I urged people to read this instead.
And the cat. Evan cares about that orange tabby and so do I.
It is not a long book, but leaves the reader with a lot to think about when it comes to making change in our life, about accepting setbacks, forgiving our mistakes and letting go of imagined enemies (letting goo, too, of the real enemies), and muddling along. Not hating the crows but noticing everything that matters. It's not a "Pollyanna" view, but a good view in every sense.
September 19, 2018
I would of never picked this book to read on my own. It was suggested to me by Jan Priddy. I was between library books and thought I should of give it a try. A good read for me in that I finished it. So many books these days do not hold my attention. I think its me not them.
I won't say anything about the plot because it would detract from reading it.
I won't say anything about the plot because it would detract from reading it.
February 2, 2012
An interesting way to tell a story but ultimately slight.
January 20, 2020
dual story of man who kills self (shotgun) who inhabits the home he shot himself in and observes the new owner (female); NY Times Notable Book, 2006, which in the end became depressing but I finished it; 2006, 277 pgs., Berea Library
June 8, 2019
Overall a very good read, but the ending left me wanting more.
January 19, 2020
Readable, but I wasn’t in the right headspace.
January 20, 2024
3.5 stars
September 2, 2008
Beautiful writing; sometimes excrutiating story, though, with the story revolving around a man, Evan Molloy, who is dead and "inhabits" the house and property where he died (we know this up front). What's billed on the jacket as a story that revolves around Evan and the then current occupant of the house, Maureen, is in reality more the back story of Evan's life up to and after his death - this story requires the reader to live through a descent into depression leading to Evan's suicide (again, this isn't a spoiler - it's revealed early on). (Note: If anyone wants (?) to read a really good book concerning suicide - such a happy topic! - I recommend "The Suicide Index" (a memoir with some "fictionalized accounts," and a terrific albeit sobering book).)
David Long's writing talent in "The Inhabited World" is evident - many lovely, spot on sentences to like here. Here's a (long) quote concerning Evans's current (post-death) thoughts on God & the afterlife: "As a grown man, Evan had replaced [his mother's] version of the afterlife with - actually, he'd never replaced it with anything. Nothing religious, anyway. He took the visible world for what it was, particles or waves (depending on how you looked at it) coalescing into things you could touch or smell or listen to. Was there "more"? He'd need evidence. And why "shouldn't" he? If people were modeled on God, why should they have to dumb down their powers of judgment? It was demeaning and senseless. But what he really believed was that it simply worked the other way around. The fact of being alive was so unfathomable that people had invented a super-parent to shepherd them through the experience - one both wrathful and loving, aware of individual sparrows and sand fleas but at the same time extraordinarily reluctant to get involved."
The characters - Evan, his (ex-)wife, father, mother-in-law - are vivid and real. Oddly, the one person with jacket cover "billing" in addition to Even, Maureen, remains something of a cipher, and the ending, which concerns her, is not all that satisfying.
The phrase "writer's writer" kept running through my head as I read this book: Story line could use some help (or change it entirely), but the writing is engaging and quite talented.
David Long's writing talent in "The Inhabited World" is evident - many lovely, spot on sentences to like here. Here's a (long) quote concerning Evans's current (post-death) thoughts on God & the afterlife: "As a grown man, Evan had replaced [his mother's] version of the afterlife with - actually, he'd never replaced it with anything. Nothing religious, anyway. He took the visible world for what it was, particles or waves (depending on how you looked at it) coalescing into things you could touch or smell or listen to. Was there "more"? He'd need evidence. And why "shouldn't" he? If people were modeled on God, why should they have to dumb down their powers of judgment? It was demeaning and senseless. But what he really believed was that it simply worked the other way around. The fact of being alive was so unfathomable that people had invented a super-parent to shepherd them through the experience - one both wrathful and loving, aware of individual sparrows and sand fleas but at the same time extraordinarily reluctant to get involved."
The characters - Evan, his (ex-)wife, father, mother-in-law - are vivid and real. Oddly, the one person with jacket cover "billing" in addition to Even, Maureen, remains something of a cipher, and the ending, which concerns her, is not all that satisfying.
The phrase "writer's writer" kept running through my head as I read this book: Story line could use some help (or change it entirely), but the writing is engaging and quite talented.
Read
February 5, 2009David Long's fictional landscape often takes place inside the mind. In this case, he develops a ghost-as-narrator who, through flashbacks, pieces together his life. The Inhabited World is really two stories, however: Evan's transition from a happily married man to his crippling depression, and Maureen's attempt to leave an abusive affair. These plots may sound depressing, but critics agree that Long creates a sense of calm, centering, and moodiness that recalls his first novel, The Falling Boy. Despite all odds, parts of the writing even approach joy as Evan recalls his daily life. A few problems held reviewers back. The interior narrative doesn't engage immediately and, in fact, became tiresome to a few. Others did not fully understand Evan's suicide. But in the end, The Inhabited World is worth reading for its musings on life, death, and faith in redemption.
This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.
July 12, 2010
LibraryThing.com review
"Mine was a surmountable despair. I just didn't. Surmount it." You feel the joy of language the delight of using a work like surmount, the small quiet thril of that heart stopping hesitation. Death like life is sill a time for learning and self discovery for Evan. His redemption is found when he finds the answers to a life-ill spent and he imparts some of that knowledge to the lost woman who shares his home. — review by user vickiphdc
I like this review because it captures the thoughtful language and harrowing depression that leads the narrator, a ghost now 10 years dead, to watch and worry over the current inhabitant of his house, a young woman in a troubled affair with a doctor. This book stayed with me.
"Mine was a surmountable despair. I just didn't. Surmount it." You feel the joy of language the delight of using a work like surmount, the small quiet thril of that heart stopping hesitation. Death like life is sill a time for learning and self discovery for Evan. His redemption is found when he finds the answers to a life-ill spent and he imparts some of that knowledge to the lost woman who shares his home. — review by user vickiphdc
I like this review because it captures the thoughtful language and harrowing depression that leads the narrator, a ghost now 10 years dead, to watch and worry over the current inhabitant of his house, a young woman in a troubled affair with a doctor. This book stayed with me.
February 18, 2015
The book begins with the narrator awakening in his house and discovering he has committed suicide. Over time he continues to live in his former house (mainly because he can't leave it) and to watch subsequent owners come and go. Meanwhile, he tries to reconstruct the circumstances of his suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, as his memory as to exactly how and what happened was mostly erased after his death. Thought-provoking and actually hopeful, I enjoyed the theme of this book. The only downside would be the "I live in Seattle" passages, which I find tiresome, since I live in Seattle, too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2007
Evan killed himself with a gun, and now finds himself a ghost, apparently doomed to wander eternally, and undetected by humans, through his old house. He is not particularly bored, though he is at time frustrated that none of the house's subsequent inhabitants sense his presence. Most of the book is Evan looking back on his life and his downward slide through depression to suicide. The book ends on a happy note, with Evan rejoicing in the self-affirming decision made by the woman now in the house.
March 18, 2012
Sad and lovely. The narrator is the ghost of a man who committed suicide and is left haunting his own house. His memories spool out over time and the reader gets to know him little by little - and to understand how he came to die. The moment in the book that had the most effect on me was when he describes his unrelenting struggle with depression and how he didn't set out to kill himself - he just had a moment of not fighting hard enough.
March 5, 2008
This was a really gripping book for me. At the same time, I don't think I could recommend it to anyone because of the delicate nature of the subject matter. As I got further and further in to it, I could see where it was headed but I was so compelled by the book that I couldn't stop myself from finishing it. I guess I can't say more without giving the whole plot away. It will stay with me in my mind for a while. Not necessarily in a good way.
October 18, 2009
This was set in Seattle-- interesting but a little self conscious about it. It gave a realistic account of depression-- the banality more than the desperation-- and the tiresomeness of it for other people. I wonder how the library book group will like this? I'm not sure they wanted to read about depression and suicide. (Why can't I find happy, funny books it the book group collection. I guess they don't make for intense discussion.)
May 2, 2007
SYNOPSIS: Evan Long, a ghost who committed suicide, haunts his old house and reminisces about the circumstances of his failed marriage and descent into suicidal depression. Couldn't finish it.
COMMENTS: It had its good moments, but overall its meandering descent into mental illness was far from entertaining.
STARTED: December 26, 2006
ABANDONED: January 4, 2007
COMMENTS: It had its good moments, but overall its meandering descent into mental illness was far from entertaining.
STARTED: December 26, 2006
ABANDONED: January 4, 2007
July 7, 2007
The marketing text on the inside of the front cover reads, "Part psychological drama, part absorbing mystery, The Inhabited World paints a stirring portrait of a man caught between this world and the next...." I would have preferred much less time on the psychological analysis of his time while alive, and much more on the mystery of his state in purgatory.
August 17, 2007
A tough look at one man's ups and mostly downs throughout the span of his life and relationships. He eventually descends into serious depression and commits suicide, which is where this book actually begins. It's his life looked at from his point of view as a much less emotionally charged ghost of sorts. Seriously depressing.
September 5, 2013
I would give it 2.5. I really appreciated the beautiful writing, but the main character was unlikeable. More importantly, I felt that his mental illness was treated almost as an aside, which left me feeling that his suicide was used more as an interesting way to tell the story rather than relevant to the story itself.
February 21, 2015
One of the best books I have ever read. David Long is a lucid and perceptive writer, and I really enjoyed his style --- smooth narration, uses words sparingly, doesn't overload sentences with adjectives. His characters were well thought-out and credible, and this book convinced me to read more of his work (which also I liked, btw, though not as much as this book).
March 13, 2014
This is a very different kind of novel, told from the view of a wandering soul after a suicide left him in limbo. I wasn't going to read at first, because I thought, "How interesting could it be? Its a dead guy; he can't be heard, he can't be seen...so why read it?" Turns out I was wrong...give it a try, you will most likely be captivated as I was.
March 3, 2011
I read this as part of a book club. It was confusing, hard to follow, but interesting and you want to finish it. It also takes place in Seattle so it is cool that I know many places the book talks about.
June 29, 2014
A man commits suicide in his home and is caught between this world and the next; over 10 years various tenants occupy the house until one troubled woman unwittingly helps him to see his own life and death in a completely new way.
January 19, 2016
Too austere and stark, without a recognizable ending. The concept of the deceased watching over his house is interesting, but could have been played out a thousand different (better) ways that allowed for more robust character development.
Want to read
April 2, 2007Famous Librarian Nancy Pearl recommends this
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews