When I first started reading this book, I thought it was going to be a book about a young girl and two sheep. That's what it was about when I started reading Chapter One. I had settled down to read an entertaining story about their relationship. But the book was so much more than that. It was a story about self-discovery.
The world that Melissa Studdard introduced to me was an exciting one, even if at times it confused me. Each 'test' that Annalise had to take was one that any human being could learn, but in Annalise's case it was a journey of choosing whether to live or die. There's a sense of spirituality about this book, not anything blatantly obvious, just an idea that there is something out there after death. It's a book that I think young adults and adults can appreciate. In fact, I can think of one young friend I have in cyberspace where this book might be right up her alley.
Also, there is a sense of magic in this book that made me think that the author's imagination had gone wild and was on steroids. This book was in no way what I expected. To be honest, I didn't know what to expect, but Melissa's Six Weeks to Yedidah surpassed my expectations.Anyway, along the way she meets characters that are both funny and also wise. They helped her to learn how to find her way back to people she loves. It's really hard to describe them because they are beyond normal characters.
There's one character, Bob, who acts as her guide in the world she ends up in, and one who has special meaning to her, only she doesn't know it. I only guessed what the relationship was between towards the end of the book.Then there are the other characters like Mabel and Mimi, her sheep. The friendship they had with Annalise changed as the story went on. They sang as well. It's one of things that made me laugh. I just found it so funny and it was part of the charm of the book.
This is not a light book to read. You have to concentrate and I think each person will take something out of it that is slightly different to anyone else. It will mean different things to people. The story was also well-written, although I can't shake the feeling that there was a fair bit of info-dumping at times. Also, people may have a hard time understanding some of it. That being said though, it shouldn't stop people from reading it.
And now here's my rating:-4 out of 5 stars.
