What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson

What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson

Written by: Richard Matheson
Narrated by: Robertson Dean
Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

About the book: What happens to us after we die? Chris Nielsen had no idea, until an unexpected accident cut his life short, separating him from his beloved wife, Annie. Now Chris must discover the true nature of life after death. But even Heaven is not complete without Annie, and the divided soul mates will do anything to reach each other across the boundaries between life and death. When tragedy threatens to divide them forever, Chris risks his very soul to save Annie from an eternity of despair.

My thoughts: I primarily picked up this audiobook because it was about death and because it was fictional. Death and mortality has to be one of the most ignored facts because we simply don’t like to remind ourselves that inevitably one day, we will depart from our materialistic existence on earth and move onto another stage all by ourselves. It had to be fictional because I wanted it to be readable, easy to understand and with a storyline to make it memorable. In the book’s introduction Richard Matheson confides in us the amount of research he did to compile the facts of afterlife which became the backbone of the story, even providing the reader with an extensive bibliography at the end. So I thought that this was as realistic as a fictional book about death got! Our protagonist, Chris Neilson, is about to find out first-hand what happens to us after death. The plot is straightforward and simple, and not as important as the descriptions that portray afterlife. I found the explanations of the etheric double, the silver cord, and the spheres of existence to be fascinating. Richard Matheson is able to give piles of information without getting too technical. The other aspect that intrigued me was his take on how much we are limited by our beliefs and ignorance, and how we on earth are trapped by only what feels like reality. One sentence in the book still sticks with me: "The mind is all." Above all the book contains a tragic love story that was so emotionally distressing that by the end it had me in tears. Chris’ devotion to his wife Ann is one that surpasses all boundaries of life on earth. I have to say that no other book has been more touching, more eye-opening than this one. Thanks to the narrator for a wonderful listen. Listen to this book and it will scare you away from suicide and the word ‘soul mate’ will take on a whole new meaning. But most importantly, it will provide you insight on the mystery of afterlife and help you lose your fear of death. I know it did for me. 5/5.