Antonia Vega, the immigrant writer at the center of Afterlife, has had the rug pulled out from under her. She has just retired from the college where she taught English when her beloved husband, Sam, suddenly dies. And then more jolts: her bighearted but unstable sister disappears, and Antonia returns home one evening to find a pregnant, undocumented teenager on her doorstep. Antonia has always sought direction in the literature she loves—lines from her favorite authors play in her head like a soundtrack—but now she finds that the world demands more of her than words. Afterlife is a compact, nimble, and sharply droll novel. Set in this political moment of tribalism and distrust, it asks: What do we owe those in crisis in our families, including—maybe especially—members of our human family? How do we live in a broken world without losing faith in one another or ourselves? And how do we stay true to those glorious souls we have lost? My thoughts: A beautifully-written, deep, touching story of Antonia Vega, a college professor and writer, mourning and grieving her husband. Antonia is trying to make sense of the world without her kind and selfless Sam and re-discover who she is and how to continue living in this after-life. This short, but very powerful novel will make you consider a variety of topics: identity, sense of belonging, family ties and human connection. Things that we often take for granted, until our life changes dramatically and we need to redefine them in order to survive the new reality. Whether you are a long time admirer or new to Julia Alvarez's work, you are bound to be fascinated by her wonderful writing style and the strengths of emotions she is describing. Thank you to Edelweiss and Algonquin Books for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion. Comments are closed.
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