The beautiful story of After Life

After Life by Gayle Forman is an amazing story that will stay with you for a while.

Read my 5-star review

Out: Now

Seventeen-year-old Amber arrives home on her bike but things seem a little off. Her memory is wonky, she's cold, and stuff is different in the house. Then her mother returns and upon seeing her starts to scream. Apparently, Amber was killed by a car 7 years ago on the very bike that she is riding now...

There are multiple POVs that accompany Amber's main 1st person POV. Hers is a deeply personal and expressive perspective that brings us directly into her unfiltered thoughts. There is beauty in the simplicity of the conveyance here. A beauty that emerges in the narrative as a whole. Breathing in emotions and exhaling philosophical trinkets.

This is not an overcharged melodrama, it permeates a pensive sadness. The adjacent 3rd person POVs mostly share slices of life with us, touched or changed because of Amber or an event that involves her, seeming minuscule but exhibiting perceptiveness of our humanness. The good, the bad and the tragic. They also show us the effect of the death on various characters, each unique, each palpable.

It is still an intriguing story of an unbelievable situation. It portrays the awkwardness and the weirdness marvelously as we see the main story through Amber's eyes. Gut-wrenching is an understatement of dealing with the reactions to her coming back, not to mention her own queries. It was interesting how the different stories overlapped with Amber's or between themselves and I loved seeing how they evolved. It reminded me a little of Lost, the TV show, how everyone seemed to be connected before the island. Some of the reveals had me sobbing. But the hope made me smile.

It is about life and death, the in-between and the questions of what comes after. It quietly champions the beautiful notion that as long as we remember those who have passed they will always be with us. An invitation to celebrate life and all its moments, even the small ones, to pay attention.

A soul-stirring tale of redemption, the power of love, faith, forgiveness and the belief that even just one person can change your life. Everything is connected...