Justine's Thoughts: Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison

Here Lies Bridget
By Paige Harbison

Source: NetGalley
Pages: 208
Published on: February 1, 2011
Book Description (from Goodreads):

Heroine, Bridget Duke, rules her high school, but when she crashes her car and ends up in limbo, she must confront the people she has wronged, all of whom want her to go to hell. The outcome of these meetings will decide her final destination.

A quote:

I fell asleep, slipping into the kind of dreams that aren’t dreams at all -- just memories with all the details you never thought you’d remember and couldn’t believe you’d forgotten.

Rating:

5/5

Any thoughts:

I love books that are based on the state between life and death. It’s the typical concept in which a person gets the opportunity to look at what they’ve done in their life and eventually tries to fix things. Always, the question is: will they live or will they die? But Harbison has done an excellent job in putting in a spin of aspects that emanates a mix of feelings.

Our protagonist is Bridget, who seriously does not feel like a protagonist but more like an antagonist. She’s the big, bad wolf in school, the bully everyone is afraid of. Since it is written in first person, we get to see everything in a different perspective. Everything that comes out of her mouth is twisted and hateful although sometimes it’s not on purpose. I hated her...yet, I also learned to love her. I was always cheering for her to learn how to be nice again, because in truth, Bridget has gone through so many hardships in life that I began to sympathize with her. In the end, I cried for her but at the same time I was incredibly happy for her.

The stepping into someone’s shoes -- literally -- is a creative part which I liked a lot. That is when Bridget gets the chance to see herself through the other characters. They all have a significant role in Bridget’s life and I was impressed by how well developed they were, especially Liam, who has known Bridget since they were little. I was touched by how he sees through her and sees her as who she really is.

Here Lies Bridget is real and will play on your heartstrings, leaving you with a message of life about second chances.