The great escape

"Evacuation Plan: A Novel From The Hospice" by Joe M. O'Connell is nothing short of remarkable. While some might call it morbid, it is far from it. It approaches the topic of death with open eyes and calls attention to people's inability to speak about death without hesitation.

"Evacuation Plan" deserves to be called a page-turner. While reading this book, one feels a need to race to the end and unravel the mystery surrounding this complex story.

O'Connell's novel has the reader constantly searching for understanding. The subject is disturbing at times, but this intensity makes for an extraordinary read.

The reader is first introduced to the hospice, a facility for the care of the terminally ill, where each character has a certain tie. The hospice is portrayed as "homey," a strange description of the facility.

For many, the word hospice connotes "death house." Despite the setting of the novel being a hospice, the reader forms an unexplainable bond with the hospice and everyone involved in it.

Almost every chapter is told from a different point of view, a confusing yet compelling approach. The main character, Matt, is the exception because his point of view is told many times.

The reader receives only bits and pieces about each character's life, enough, though, for the book to progress steadily. Each character's entire story is never revealed. However, since this book is about death, it seems appropriate that many things would be left unknown.

This book illustrates how people reflect on their lives-such as past mistakes and triumphs as they draw closer to death.Some of the characters detach from life, which helps give insight into how it must feel to hang in the balance between life and death. "It became harder and harder to believe he was me. Maybe he wasn't," says a character in the book as he remarks on his detachment from himself.

While some characters isolate themselves, others attempt to hold onto their good humor. This positive outlook, even in the face of death, is enlightening and uplifting.

O'Connell's writing is phenomenal. He is able to write about issues people fear to discuss. He successfully captures the feeling of death being surreal and considers different ways people deal with death.

The novel explores the idea that to live is important but to die should not be feared. To die is just a "great mystery." J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, writes, "After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."

"Evacuation Plan" is a novel that walks hand-in-hand with death and yet, somehow, the reader finishes the book feeling inspired to live.