by Brian Morton
First published 2014
The residents of Morton's Heaven gather once again for another round of divine comedy. In this celestial realm, the departed find themselves in a place that runs more on wit than worship. God maintains a playful sense of humor, and the afterlife operates like an eternal neighborhood where former earthly concerns give way to lighter pursuits. The souls who populate this particular version of paradise discover that eternity need not be solemn. Death has delivered them to a place designed for those who believed laughter belonged in the sacred. Morton's characters navigate their posthumous existence with the same quirks and foibles they carried in life, only now their daily dramas unfold against clouds instead of concrete. These stories explore what happens when ordinary people find themselves in an extraordinary place that values joy over judgment. The emotional heart lies in the recognition that even in paradise, what makes existence meaningful is the same thing that always did: human connection, gentle absurdity, and the comfort of finding yourself among kindred spirits who appreciate that the divine and the ridiculous often occupy the same space.
Genres: fiction, contemporary, comedy, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: found-family, gentle-absurdity
46 pages · Paperback · CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform