HEAVEN

A debut picture book for adults presents interpretations of platitudes offered after the death of a loved one.

“Before we are eligible for Heaven there is an earthly journey,” Taylor begins, proceeding to rephrase common funereal phrases, such as “his journey came to its conclusion,” and pair them with a simple, black-and-white line art image of a hiker in the mountains. On each page, Taylor—whom the back cover describes as a dyslexic author—provides an interpretation of common sayings about death and heaven, given as excerpted phrases. Sometimes these interpretations are quite literal, like the image of a construction worker punching out on a clock paired with the phrase “ended his shift,” or a pole with speakers on it that evokes a divine public address system for when “God called her home.” Others are more abstract, such as a solidly outlined body becoming fainter, with a dotted figure hovering above it to express the idea of transition. The spacing of the lines, along with the added details in some of the author’s drawings, makes the images suitable for an adult coloring book. It is Taylor’s unique view on how many of these phrases are heard by those who grieve that delivers the most engaging part of the narrative, both in the text and the paired images. Despite the Christian phrasing, the book deals more with common imagery about death than with religious terms.

Featuring engaging concepts, this inventive work depicts an insightful view of death.