Book Review: Afterlife, by Julia Alvarez

I’m excited to share this book with you today! While we’re all in a different daily structure these days, it helps to have something to be excited about and new books are a great thing!

Here’s the synopsis:

“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.”

Alvarez’s writing is just as lyrical and poignant and the plot suggests. This book is compellingly written too, which was important for me as I’ve had a hard time staying interested in most of the books I’ve picked up recently. It’s hard to focus these days, and so it’s an extra comfort when you can read something that feels like an escape for a while.

For me, this book was a good fit. I enjoyed getting swept up in Vega’s story, her life, her thoughts, and her beautiful words. It’s not necessarily an easy read but it’s thought provoking and encourages you to consider. A short book, this is a great one to pick up now or to put on your list to return to.

Afterlife is out now wherever books are sold. I do hope you’ll check it out and also take a look at Alvarez’s other books too! Thank you to Algonquin Books for the review copy!