Title: After Life
Author: Gayle Forman
Format Read: Kindle
Publication Date: January 7, 2025
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
A thoughtful, emotionally precise novel that explores grief with honesty and restraint.
Grief is an emotionally burdensome load to carry. I can imagine the grief of losing a child, and it steals the air from my lungs. I love reading books that make me feel, so I chose to read After Life by Gayle Forman knowing it would devastate me. There were moments it did. In the end, though, I finished the book feeling lighter.
The story begins with Amber arriving home on her bike seven years after her death. The book then explores how grief has changed her family and acquaintances, and how they are learning to live with it. It shows how differently people experience loss, including sadness, anger, denial, and guilt. At just 271 pages in the Kindle version I read, it’s a tightly wrapped package. Forman writes with beautiful precision, giving the reader what they need while keeping the story moving at a brisk pace.
Some chapters are narrated by Amber in the first person, while others are told from different perspectives in the third person, set at various points before and after her death. The author makes these shifts in narrator and time clear, but the book would have benefited from having fewer of them. A couple of times, I had to look back to remember who a character even was.
The power of Forman’s writing comes from her sincerity and her timing. She lets the prose walk straight into emotion instead of circling it. I felt like I was living each moment alongside the characters rather than observing them from afar. Her precision shows up here as restraint, even during very raw moments.
I’m glad I picked After Life up. It’s a quick read that explores meaningful issues most people will experience at some point in their lives. I’d recommend it to readers of literary fiction, particularly those familiar with Forman’s earlier books, like If I Stay. It’s a story that works well for both adult and young adult readers.
Nerd Rating: 🤓🤓🤓🤓— A well-crafted, emotionally grounded novel whose sincerity and restraint outweigh its structural hiccups.
Find out more about this book at Quill Tree Books.
Let’s Discuss: Do you think stories about grief are more powerful when they focus on quiet, everyday moments rather than dramatic plot events? Why or why not?