Reflections of her past, and interactions with her husband, daughter and others, are contrasted with their lives in the present, as Molly looks on contemplatively, from the “Duration”.

Told in the first person by Molly, The Late Lamented Molly Marx, by Sally Koslow is both a poignant and a humorous novel. It follows the Molly, in the hereafter, as she looks down upon her family, and their interactions and reactions to her untimely death at the age of 35. There is an air of suspicion surrounding her death, and Molly, herself, doesn’t seem to remember the circumstances. The last she remembers, she was riding her bicycle through Riverside Park in New York City. Was her death accidental? Was it a suicide? Was it murder? It is all conjecture.

Molly’s perspective of her own funeral had me laughing out loud. The fact she can read the minds of those she in attendance added to the humor, of the funeral scene, as Molly injects her own interpretations into the scenarios. There is also a great deal of sadness and regret, as Molly views those in her lives.

Molly becomes wistful regarding the one person she is most concerned about, her four-year old daughter, Annabel, her beloved Annabel. She is concerned for her emotional welfare and well-being. Annabel was her reason for living, and Molly’s life revolved around Annabel.

She watches her plastic surgeon husband, Barry, also, and doesn’t want to face the fact that he had affairs during their marriage. She relives their marriage, from its beginning through her death. She relives and reflects on every thing about her life, and what she thought was a happy one. She acknowledges the flaws, and makes conscious decisions to take responsibility for some of the negative aspects of her life. But, taking responsibility from the afterlife does not reap rewards for those left behind.

I could go on with the story line, but then I would spoil it, therefore I will stop detailing it. You will have to read it yourself to learn more.

What one needs to do is acknowledge their choices and take responsibility while we are still living. If nothing else, the reader will definitely retain that theory in the context of the story line. Life is about living and interacting, in the here and now, and not in the hereafter.

Acknowledgment does free the deceased Molly from the self-imposed restraints she placed on herself. Koslow has done an excellent job in writing from Molly’s unique perspective. Koslow touches on the fact that one can learn to see the consequences of their actions, and how those actions and interactions caused others to behave the way they did. Family dynamics and the intimacies and intricacies of marriage are also thematic. Sally Koslow weaves a story line, injecting it with details of an afterlife that holds mystery, yet is filled with positive aspects in an almost hypnotic manner. Her word visuals are vivid, her writing is concise, and at times poetic. I felt the ending was a bit rushed, but I still enjoyed the book.

The Late Lamented Molly Marx is a book that infuses life and death, death and the afterlife, the past, present and future together, from an unusual viewpoint. It blends all life facets, from birth through the hereafter, and gives one food for thought about choices, responsibility, and what the afterlife might contain. I thoroughly liked the novel. It is a quick read, and makes an excellent beach read, and a good read while on an airline flight or on vacation.

Excuse the updates…for some odd reason the image wasn’t showing correctly.
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Friday July 3, 2009 – 11th of Tamuz, 5769