Description: David Long's fictional landscape often takes place inside the mind. In this case, he develops a ghost-as-narrator who, through flashbacks, pieces together his life. The Inhabited World is really two stories, however: Evan's transition from a happily married man to his crippling depression, and Maureen's attempt to leave an abusive affair. These plots may sound depressing, but critics agree that Long creates a sense of calm, centering, and moodiness that recalls his first novel, The Falling Boy . Despite all odds, parts of the writing even approach joy as Evan recalls his daily life. A few problems held reviewers back. The interior narrative doesn't engage immediately and, in fact, became tiresome to a few. Others did not fully understand Evan's suicide. But in the end, The Inhabited World is worth reading for its musings on life, death, and faith in redemption.

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