Review: Afterlife

Afterlife by Julia Alvarez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Antonia is a writer and teacher when she retires.  Her life is anything but stable when her husband suddenly dies, her older sister disappears and an undocumented, pregnant teenager appears at her home.  She has always found comfort in literature and the quotes she could pull from it, but her life is now asking for more than quotes.  How will Antonia deal with this influx of issues?

Afterlife is a quick read that hits on many hard issues.  Alvarez has perfectly taken multiple life issues and created a story that would appeal to readers of many ages.  Even if a reader hasn’t lost a husband, they probably have lost someone.  Even if they have never had a sibling disappear, they most likely have seen news clips about a missing person.  Most people have known a pregnant teenager, even if they aren’t undocumented.  Readers will finish this book with hope and the truth that not everything has an easy ending.

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