Review of Shoes on the Stairs

[Bertha Jackson]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Shoes on the Stairs" by Jan Steele.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Forty-six-year-old Claire is exhausted after a sleepless night listening to her husband, Brad, snoring and then trying to get her three children to school on time. Six-year-old Jazzy can never find her shoes, and 15-year-old Ivy and 18-year-old Edward are never ready to get up. She gets the kids off to school ten minutes late and contemplates her life. Claire is determined to be a “hands-on” mother active in every aspect of her children’s lives but regrets leaving her teaching job. She notices Edward forgot to pick up the signed detention form to return to the school. After giving their dog, Buddy, a kiss goodbye, Claire gets into Brad’s prized BMW and heads to the school. Driving and texting Edward that she is on the way to the school, she runs a light at an intersection and hits an Escalade. Claire is filled with regrets about things she has left unfinished and knows that there is nothing she can do because she is dead. But where is the white light she is supposed to go into? Will she have to watch her family without any physical interaction for the rest of eternity? Is she in Hell?

Shoes on the Stairs by Jan Steele is best described by the quote, “Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go” by Hermann Hesse at the beginning of the book. Jan Steele has done an exceptional job with this book. I could feel her fear and frustration as she watched her family grieve and struggle after her death, and she could not do anything to comfort or help them. There is humor throughout the book. For example, Claire notices at her funeral that all the flowers are lilies, and she has never liked them because they made her sneeze. I have often wondered if the deceased could hear what was said about them at funerals. After reading this book, I will be more careful about what I say at funerals. There are two aspects of this book that stood out to me. Firstly, never take your family and life for granted. Your death can happen anytime, whether you are ready or not. Secondly, never text and drive unless you are willing to die. I appreciate that Jan Steele is donating a percentage of her proceeds from this book to various anti-bullying campaigns.

Claire’s family life is realistic with the teenagers’ attitudes and struggles with bullying. Many teenagers will do anything to be popular no matter the risks involved, which is demonstrated throughout this book. There was nothing I disliked about this book. With its fast-paced, smooth-flowing plot and exceptional editing, this book has no negative aspects.

I am delighted to give this enjoyable book 4 out of 4 stars. I found no errors in this book and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. There is no justification for me to give this delightful book fewer stars.

I recommend this book to readers over 16 years of age who enjoy mysteries and books about life after death. If topics like attempted rape, bullying, and attempted murder are triggers for you, you may want to avoid this book. Also, this book may not be for you if you have recently lost a loved one or if Catholic funerals and prayers offend you. I must also caution that this book does contain non-borderline profanity.

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Shoes on the Stairs
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[Amy Luman]

The first thing I thought was, ‘Of course it has non-borderline profanity. It involves teenagers.’ I haven’t been a teen for a long time, but I have had one recently and I remember.

[Diana Lowery]

This sounds like a book I could relate to. I love the title. I admire Herman Hesse. I enjoyed your review.

[Uwe Neufeld]

Books have the mission to teach, and of course, to entertain. Seems a interesting read.