#35--The Afterlife

The Afterlife by Gary Soto. Harcourt, Inc. (2003)

Price: $6.95 for paperback

Pages: 161 in paperback

Plot Summary

Chuy is looking forward to finally making Rachel his novia after the school dance. In a good mood, he smiles as he gets ready in Club Estrella’s bathroom and compliments the guy next to him on his yellow shoes. Suddenly, Chuy is dead, stabbed to death for complementing the yellow shoe guy. As he tries to make sense of a senseless situation, Chuy wanders around town as a ghost, visiting his family and friends for the next few days. He even meets a fellow ghostly girl who just might be the girl of his dreams. But while Chuy has revelation after revelation what use are these new lessons to him dead and what will happen when he ceases to exist as a ghost?

Critical Evaluation

At just 161 pages, Gary Soto creates a compelling novel that raises a variety of thought provoking questions. For example, it is one of the rare young adult novels where the main character spends a significant amount of time contemplating the afterlife. Throughout the novel, Chuy considers not only why he is a ghost but what will happen as he slowly fades away. Ironically, the difficult questions Chuy pushed away during his life now surface once he is dead. He even begins to puzzle out the answers to some of them. He realizes that he loves his close friends and can finally admit it. He knows what it is to forgive, love both romantically and fraternally, and feel sympathy for those whom he would not have necessarily spared a second glance at in life. 

Soto’s novel also explores the complexity of grief and how everyone processes it in different ways. Chuy’s almost novia continually cries while his mother insists his cousin avenging his death. His friends, red-eyed, proceed to play basketball while his cousin tries to decide how to best respond. Perhaps the most interesting element of his novel is Soto’s decision to not discriminate between victims and willing participants of death. After all, a victim of a senseless murder, a girl who commits suicide, and a homeless man who dies of exposure, all become ghosts, a fate that seems to affect all regardless of how they died. Soto’s The Afterlife is a thought provoking novel and would be perfect for those who are seeking to better understand death and the grieving process. Because it is so short, it would be an ideal book to recommend to reluctant readers, particularly male readers as Chuy is a well-drawn, likable protagonist who, although a ghost, is in many ways an ordinary guy.

Reader’s Annotation

When Chuy’s life is suddenly cut short he is able to revisit his life as a ghost and reconsider his relationships.

About the Author

Gary Soto is a well-respected author for people of all ages with eleven books of poetry and over thirty novels/collections of short stories to his name. He often writes of what he knows, setting some of his novels in Fresno, California where he grew up. When he is not writing he enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, reading books, going to the theater, and playing tennis and basketball.

Learn more about Gary Soto and his works at his website here and here.

Genre

Paranormal fiction

Readalikes

Buried Onions by Gary Soto

·         The book that takes place prior to The Afterlife

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

·         Like The Afterlife, this book tells the story of a teen who hovers between life and the afterlife.

After Eli by Rebecca Rupp

·         This book also explores the meaning of life and death

Tags

Boyfriends, Cousins, family relationships, Fresno, CA, ghosts, girlfriends, grieving, murder, revenge, suicide, true love,

Awards Won/Lists On

2004—ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

2004—Skipping Stones Honor Award

Professional Reviews

Booklist

Horn Book Review

Kirkus Reviews
Publishers' Weekly

Booktalk Ideas

Different Ways of Dealing with Death

·         Mother à seeks revenge (59)

·         Cousin à cannot decide how to best grieve (73-74)

·         Friends à going on with life as best they can (62-65)

·         Novia à Crying despite acting tough (46-48)

If you died tomorrow and became a ghost what do you think you would learn?

·         Principal is not as tough as he seems (64)

·         Loving your friends is okay for guys

·         Perhaps people commit crimes because they are abused (39-40)

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness

This book could be used to discuss the afterlife and the meaning of life and death with teens, particularly those who have experienced the loss of a loved one through violence.

Reading Level/Interest Level

Reading Level: 5^th grade

Interest Level: 9^th-12^th grade

These levels are according to AR Bookfinder

Challenge Issues

This book includes the following potentially controversial elements:

·         Assault

·         Bullying

·         Death

·         Discussion of afterlife

·         Domestic violence

·         Ghosts

·         Gun violence

·         Infidelity

·         Language

·         Revenge

·         Stealing

·         Suicide

·         Violent stabbing

Librarians can point out that while some may consider this novel gritty it is a realistic portrayal of what life is like for those who live in relative poverty. Additionally, it can be an excellent conversation starter for discussing the afterlife. The novel also contains beneficial lessons such as the importance of loving others and the pointlessness of revenge.

Why Was This Included?

I included this book because I am doing a presentation on ghosts. I also wanted to read it because Gary Soto is a well-known Latino author who writes a variety of wonderful books for all ages. I did not know that this was the sequel to Buried Onions when I first picked it up so now I’ll have to go read that! J