Shea, Sandra. The Realm of Secondhand Souls

The title is a play on words because the book is really about the souls that remain in secondhand clothes. Reminiscent of Isabel Allende or Julia Alvarez, the author flitters between what is real and what is spiritual. The book opens with the birth of the main character and ends with a death. Poetic, otherworldly writing with no identifiable setting or nationality. Sandra Shea was the founding editor of the Boston Phoenix Literary Supplement. She currently writes for The Philadelphia Daily News, where she serves on the editorial board.

Charlotte Thompson, July 28, 2000.