Beyond the Body: Exploring Life, Death, and Consciousness Through Fiction
I’ve always thought life would be much easier without a physical body.
(I know, stay with me… :)
Much of our lives are dictated by physical needs; our daily drives for oxygen, water, food, sleep, and need for safety, and shelter. Our hormones too, have a tendency to run amok and make decisions for us (they do for me at least). Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of fun with all the physical elements, but there are days when I experience them as a bit of a drag. Where I just want to be, and exist, and ponder the puzzle pieces of existence and not have to get up to pee every 20 minutes because my herbal tea is running straight through me.
So I wonder: what if all that fell away and all that was left was spirit? What if all you were was consciousness? And more specifically, what if all you were was consciousness while still here on this earth?
This, probably unnecessary and esoteric, concept has been mulling around my brain for at least 15 years and I’m sure it’s what made the ghost who was supposed to be a side character in my novel CONTRAST take over as the lead. Because this is his story.
Here is it in a nutshell:
The ghost, who I’ve conveniently named Ghost, all of a sudden finds himself dead, but still in his own garden. To be non-corporeal but nonetheless able to think and feel and communicate with the kind animals and two neighbors that now also live in the garden. But where in life, he was able to escape in easy pleasures, his afterlife offers no such relief.
So what then? That is the question he wrestles with. It is clear that still being on this earth isn’t where he’s supposed to be, but where to go instead? And, perhaps the biggest question of all, how to get there?
As anger is not getting him anywhere and as there doesn’t seem to be a higher power to bargain with, Ghost realizes he has no other choice than to face his own existence. Even though he doesn’t actually exist…
As the story progresses, he steps back into his past, and his memories and emotions interweave with the stories and emotions of the two neighbors. When he reaches the one core memory so deeply painful that it tethered him on this earth even in death, the entire garden weeps with rain and angry thunder. It takes him everything he has, and the help of everyone around him, but in the end he learns that all his grief stems from love. And that to love is the purpose.
There’s much that I’ve learned from writing this book, the first of which is that yes, of course, we have consciousness and bodies; that’s the whole point and beauty and mystery of living these human lives! This might seem an obvious conclusion to you, but it took a surprising amount of work for me to get there.
Beyond that, and I hope/think this has translated onto the pages, this novel taught me the power of owning your pain as well as your pleasure, and your grief as much as your joy. That the dark sides of life are very much part of it as the light ones are. Two halves of one coin. Or of one magical garden if you will…
Again, this is not necessarily news to most people, nor was it to me, but what became crystal clear to me in the writing and editing process was how much I needed to emotionally go through it to really get it. In other words, to go beyond the rational understanding of these concepts, and integrate them on a spiritual level.
Though the book has barely been out, I’m finding much joy in the fact that readers tell me that, besides enjoying the story, the heart, and the humor, they too find themselves pondering the philosophical questions the characters face alongside them:
“Do I have the courage to face my inner demons in exchange for a more fulfilling and meaningful life?”
Buy CONTRAST; a novel
CONTRAST is a multiple POV novel in the literary fiction/magical realism genre told from the perspectives of Ghost, Leora, and Xander, and explores intersecting quests for understanding, meaning, and healing.
What others have said:
“The book’s dreamlike quality and slow drizzle of information make for a compelling read. A haunting novel of forgotten traumas and restorative friendships.”
- Kirkus Reviews
Thoughtful, surprising existential adventure between life and death.
“Coussement debuts with a searching speculative drama about the meaning of life and death and how emotional wounds from our past affect our future. [While] very much a novel of the mind, Coussement’s style allows readers to feel like they are hanging out with familiar friends, somewhere between this world and the beyond.”
Production grade (incl. editing): A
- Publishers Weekly Booklife Reviews
“A profound exploration of humanity, the meaning of life, and the possibilities that lie beyond death's veil.”
- Chelsea Tucker, Independent Book Review
