In "Afterlife," Julia Alvarez reveals how life is not always lost even when it seems to be. Heartbroken Antonia Vega, an award winning author, recently lost her husband Sam, can't seem to find her older sister, and finds an undocumented, pregnant woman at her doorstep. Jumping between snapshots of Vega's adolescence with her sisters and her current day dilemma, Alvarez once again emphasizes the universal themes of sisterhood and the ties that bind us.

Personally, I couldn't really get into the story or catch the emotional side that Alvarez usually brings up in me. Perhaps it is more a reflection of my mental state than of Alvarez's usually quite brilliant writing.