Touching the Surface

by Kimberly Sabatini

[Angie]

Touching the Surface is super deep, dark, and fascinating. I love stories about the afterlife, and this one was really unique, but easy to imagine. Elliot has just arrived at the Ombil for the third time. The Ombil is a kind of limbo for souls to go in order to discover where they went wrong in life, so that they can do better the next time and hopefully move on. As a Third Timer, Elliot doesn't have her memories. She doesn't know how she died or what she was suppose to learn. Now she has to attend Delving classes with others in her position so that they can help each other uncover those lost memories and learn from them before it's too late.

I did really enjoy Touching the Surface, but I didn't fully connect with the characters enough to love it. I was mostly into the afterlife concept that was created. It includes a kind of purgatory, reincarnation, three strikes, and fears of Heaven and Hell. It's pretty all-inclusive, but not in a way that's overwhelming. All souls that don't reach some kind of enlightenment get to try again after some self reflection. Being a Third Timer is a terrifying thing, because it's your last shot at getting things right. If you don't, where do you go from there? Are you stuck in Ombil with your thoughts and fears for all eternity or do you go to Hell? Elliot is worried about the latter, since she believes she may have committed suicide. How in the world do you get the strength to face that!?

The blurb and first few chapters of Touching the Surface make it seem like a lot of Elliot's journey is going to be about a love triangle. Or a really a love square, since her BFF from her past lives, Julia, is also involved. That is not the case at all. Elliot, Julia, Oliver, and Trevor are connected in ways that go beyond romance. It's slowly revealed as they unlock their memories, which are quite painful to experience. I really liked the tension between Elliot and Julia, since Julia feels like she has to remove the one constant from her past lives in order to move on. Of course, that constant is Elliot who feels betrayed by this decision. Then there's the romance; I liked that too, but I was more invested in the romance from the past rather than the new one developing.

Touching the Surface was a really interesting read. I loved this take on what happens after we die. I'd like to believe that something like this does happen to us. We're not just damned for the mistakes that we make. We're able to learn from them and get a second (and third) chance to do better. It's kind of comforting. I just wish that I had cared more about Elliot so I could go on this journey with her.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.