Doug Engstrom’s Reviews > Vigil > Status Update

This sounds very interesting. What are your thoughts Doug?

As might be expected, given the author, it was very literary even though it had the strong genre element of "supernatural comforter." There's no real effort to explain or even show the rules in the afterlife, as you might expect in a genre novel--the focus is entirely on the narrator and her feelings about herself, her role, and her relationship to her charges and "others of her ilk" (as she describes other inhabitants of the afterlife similar to herself.)

There are wonderful turns of phrase and some funny bits as the dying oilman tries to defend his life and actions. (Though his defense did become monotonous at times.) However, I didn't get any real sense of stakes for either the narrator or her charge, because we never know what outcomes are possible.

Despite that, I was certainly able to feel for the narrator, who has a number of poignant moments, and I found her very likable and worth following through a short novel. I felt confused about the ending because, as even the narrator acknowledges, the outcomes "might not make much difference."

Many thanks for a detailed review. I'm not sure if I would fully enjoy reading this book, however I'm unlikely to regret doing so. Which can be an accolade in itself.