Milena Michiko Flašar’s novel “Above Earth, Below Heaven” tells with subtle humor about a Japanese woman who professionally cleans the homes of the dead.
First sentences can contain something that carries you through the whole book. From the beginning you are caught, fascinated, wanting to read on and on until the secret of the novel, the point of the story, is revealed. In Milena Michiko Flašar’s novel “Above Earth, Below Heaven” this ominous first sentence reads: “I liked being alone.”