The Afterlife of Trisha Bumwood

THE AFTERLIFE OF TRISHA BUMWOOD is a triumphant soap opera of symbolism and a natural page-turner. Francis DiPietro has created a multi-faceted gem of perspectives and philosophy. To pitch it in one short line: Jesus owns a convenience store. With that as a premise, we soon learn that he has fallen in love with Trisha Bumwood, mother of one and a first-time afterlifer. What is the afterlife? It's not what you might think. Purposes abound, strategy and scheming form potent undercurrents, and the cumulatively addictive viewpoints in narrative weave the most pleasant and intriguing of spells. Indeed, no other novel displays the collective omnipotents of God, Jesus, the devil, and the devil's son with such candor and flaw, clarity and guile. Other puissant parties are interested in Ms. Bumwood too, and she soon becomes the center for the affections of the most powerful beings in the afterlife. What they all don't know is Trisha Bumwood is destined to foil their little game, for she refuses to be a pawn, and ultimately discovers a path that is uniquely her own.