Who hasn’t wondered about death? But have you ever been dead?
We are imprisoned by two inescapable facts – death and being human. Death, ironically life’s signature, kills without compassion or distinction between royalty and commoner, or young and old, or rich and poor. Death seals our ultimate fate that can neither be negotiated nor evaded. Our genes are the other prison sentence. Evolution has made us human beings, at least for now. As a leopard cannot change its spots, a human cannot become a different animal or sense the environment as any other species. We see the world through a human lens, with its benefits and limitations.
However, the mind and imagination can wander into foreign territories and indulge in fantasies with different rules that challenge our concepts of death and being human. The following tales explore a porous, overlapping border, both real and imagined, between life and death, and between humans and another species. Never mind crossing the boundaries of today’s reality or common experiences. Free your imagination and let it breathe; there may come a time when such fantasies trespass our accepted borders and revise past experiences and future expectations.
“Intriguingly dark collection of short stories”
This intriguingly dark collection of short stories by Piatigorsky (Jellyfish Have Eyes, 2015, etc.) considers the possibility of a transitional stage between life and death.
“I cannot fathom my own death,” writes scientist Piatigorsky, “however, the mind and imagination can…indulge in fantasies…that challenge our concepts of death and being human.” This collection of six short stories does exactly that. The first, “Notes Going Underground,” is written from the perspective of a research scientist who finds he has been given a “grace period” between life and death to “size up” his life before burial. In “My Funeral,” a biomedical scientist discovers that once dead, he continues to feel alive and attends his own memorial service. “Waking up Dead” continues in a similar vein with a protagonist who doesn’t realize he is dead and continues his life as usual. The imagination-stretching “Death by Drowning” is about a daughter who connects with an absent father who has been jailed for misusing government funds when researching jellyfish, only for him to die in a bizarre manner. “Mr. Blok” ponders the state of dying after the protagonist falls into a ditch, and “What’s Alive” takes the form of an essay examining the gray area between life and death. The writing is playfully morbid. In “Mr. Blok” an unnerving pleasure arises from the process of dying: “Lying on his back in the mud, soft and warm, with his eyes closed, in the marvelous quietness made him feel almost grateful and glad. How amazingly simple it is to be dead.” Piatigorsky’s prose is laconic yet elegant—always keen to confront the reader with probing questions: “Is a virus dead? Is the peeling bark of a eucalyptus tree alive?” The result is a deeply thought-provoking collection that presents an unflinching examination of a taboo subject. The first three offerings read as a reworking of the same story, each about a scientist negotiating the partition between life and death. Still, despite blurring into one another, these stories capture various aspects of the same phenomena. Accompanied by suitably macabre illustrations by Ismael Carrillo, this book is an intriguing read.
Penetrating, inventive writing that challenges perceptions of what lies beyond the veil.
KIRKUS REVIEWS
“A masterful storyteller”
“Bravo…a masterful storyteller that makes me feel under a spell…the stories emerge irresistibly as gems because the thoughts and writing are so exquisite…on the cusp of greatness.”
Anthony Pitch, author of They Have Killed Papa Dead and other books.
“Alive with brilliant prose and pathos”
“Piatigorsky delivers a riveting book about death that’s alive with brilliant prose and pathos. We’ll all get there in time, but Piatigorsky illuminates the ultimate journey with special meaning.”
Neal P. Gillen, author of Rendezvous in Rockefeller and other books and short stories.
“Humor, poignancy and even a certain romantic fantasy”
The writing is elegantly conceived and reminds us that fiction can – and should – take us out of ourselves and put us squarely, directly into harm’s way. A remarkable storyteller, Piatigorsky beautifully blends the often-remote nature of dying with what he calls the ‘privilege of life’ – with humor, poignancy and even a certain romantic fantasy. Notes Going Underground is one of those books that other writers will secretly wish they wrote themselves.”
James Mathews, author of Last Known Position
“Makes you wonder what we still have to learn about life and how it ends”
“Dying is very relaxing,” we learn in Notes Going Underground. One character attends his own funeral to hear unexpected praise from unforeseen sources. Another makes a mistake; he attends the wrong funeral. A third meets her father for the first time before he tries to cross the “No Trespassing law of Nature.” “Dead and alive at the same time? That’s absurd!” Joram Piatigorsky writes. Or is it? In a series of short stories, Joram creates an intriguing world between life and death. In his professional life, Joram made scientific discoveries others had not imagined. Notes Going Underground is a fascinating read that makes you wonder what we still have to learn about life and how it ends.
Mark Cymrot, author of Squeezing Silver