First published 1980
Lazarus opens his eyes to a world he thought he had left behind. Death brought him peace, but Christ's miracle forces him back into flesh and breath. The crowds celebrate his return, yet Lazarus feels only the weight of unwanted life. His sisters Mary and Martha rejoice, but he cannot share their happiness. He remembers the silence of death, the absence of pain and desire. Now he must navigate relationships, physical needs, and expectations he no longer understands. The townspeople view him as proof of divine power, but Lazarus sees himself as a reluctant prisoner in his own body. He struggles with the knowledge that death waits again, inevitable and perhaps welcome. Coover explores the psychological burden of miraculous resurrection through Lazarus's alienated perspective. The story questions whether returning from death constitutes blessing or curse, examining the gap between others' joy and the recipient's experience.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century
Vibes: dark, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, reluctant-hero
Setting: Townspeople
Period: Death
26 pages · Hardcover · Bruccoli-Clark Layman
Content warnings: death