Demons Among Us

Luisa Perkins's novel Dispirited addresses some interesting topics in relation to death, the spirit, and beliefs on the afterlife.
Something interesting that I noted is how she dealt with the issue of death in her novel. Death tends to be a controversial topic among many people as questions arise, such as "Where will we go after this life?" However, among Mormons, the topic is generally treated very differently. As Mormons, we take comfort in knowing where we will go after this life and we take comfort in knowing that God has a plan for everyone. When it's someone's appointed time to die, we're sad, but we know that it will be okay. This concept is embodied in the character Cathy, who's half-brother, Blake, passes away. At the end of the novel, she takes on the responsibility of comforting the remaining members of her family, much as a member of the Church would do in reminding the family of the plan of salvation.
I really liked Perkins's novel because it made me think more deeply about Mormon theology of death and the spirit world. As I was reading, I started to question things that don't really matter, but are interesting to think about. For example, some of the most important characters to the plot are demons, or Satan's followers. Reading about the demons taking over human bodies in this way made me wonder what role Satan's followers really do play in our lives today. We know from scriptures that they are present among us, but to what extent can they influence us? In reality, this isn't something that is pertinent to our salvation, but it does make us think about gospel principles in new ways.
While I don't feel like her novel is in anyway a comprehensive view on the afterlife, it does present some interesting theories (or space-doctrine, as many like to refer to it as).