Grief in The Fourth Dimension

Publication Date: July 2024 |Thanks Netgalley for an ARC

Overall Verdict: Speculative fiction that dives deep into grief and the process of healing from a loved ones death.

3/5 Stars

Book Summary: After their deaths, Kenny and Caroline find themselves together in a mysterious white room. They come to realize that they are able to view their families and friends as they work through the process of grieving their losses. In addition, there are small ways in which Kenny and Caroline can influence the events that are currently happening to others back home. As the two connect further in the room, they realize their connection to one another and their deaths extended beyond coincidence.

My Analysis: The uniqueness of this plot made me want to pick this one up instantly. There are a lot of heavy themes within this one- content warnings for discussions of death and suicide. Yu does a nice job of making the topics of death and grief and their impact very accessible. If it weren’t for the depth of the topics, I would almost say this reads a little younger. The characters are interesting and I liked the connections that were made both in and out of the white room. The depictions of Kenny’s family restaurant were my favorite scenes. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so I’ll just say that I’m not entirely on board with how things wrapped up for this one. I get where the author was coming from in how she had some characters react to certain situations, but I’m not sure if I totally agreed with some of it morally. That though is definitely something that could be subjective, based on the opinions of the reader. I was also able to figure out one of the bigger twists early on (which was a good one but I wish I hadn’t seen it coming) and another which I had not and was interestingly revealed. If you’re into speculative fiction and want an introspective look into grief, give this one a try.