jessicaxmaria's Reviews (1.04k)

Whew. For such a short book, this felt like I collapsed under a mountain of great sentences over and over again. It left me a little breathless, and I re-read certain sections because I loved the rhythm. But make no mistake, there's little joy to be found here beyond the technical. It's quite bleak, and honest, about modern day existence.

Quite impressive from what I thought it was going to be; I'm not sure I had any right to doubt Knoll, as I loved her novel Luckiest Girl Alive. Much like that novel, there's a premise here that could be particularly one-note or easily glided through with thriller punches throughout the narrative. Knoll goes for something a little more intelligent, and takes on a subject that has been adapted and turned over many many times but rather than continue to center The Defendant (you'll know who pretty quickly), the women treated as body counts come to life. And then she also finds a way to comment on the way it was, the way things were done, and how this has changed--but also has stayed the same!

Anyway, those are my initial thoughts. And after typing this out it's getting another star. 4.5!! 

This memoir about (barely) surviving the sudden death of a young spouse runs the gamut of emotions, and author Amy Lin articulates her own experience in such a genuine manner it caught me off guard at times. Lin’s acts of remembering in these pages, and imparting details of her particular journey, are gifts—for those facing grief, for those who have close ones that are, and for everyone else, too. The writing weaves pain and intimacy and sadness and beauty through Lin’s memories of before her 32-year-old husband’s death, during, and after.

“We shared a language that was all our own. I am now the last speaker of it.”

The details in the sharp prose elicited deep exhales and at times tears as I read. It’s been a few months now, so I can say with certainty that this book will stay with the reader long after having closed it. My aunt’s husband passed away two years ago, and I still think about my beloved uncle every day. After finishing HERE AFTER, I gave her a copy of the book thinking it may resonate. My aunt texted me the very next day after completing it and said: “She really captured how grief affects us all differently, but hit on the universality of it as well. Thank you! I’m going to email the title to my grief counselor.” I ended up buying and giving the book as a gift to at least four other friends familiar with this type of heartache. I recommend it to everyone.

A moving story that I didn't think was going to be for me based on the cover and the horror genre. But listening to it as a Tournament of Books shortlister, I was emotionally shaken by the story of Santiago and then M, and his parents. For all its fantastical elements, it has such a reverberating portrait of grief. And it sure surprised me nearly at every turn, which I do not find very often these days! 

What a treat! At first I had to get into the rhythm of the proceedings but once it clicked, I was all in. I loved the blend of humor in this historical retelling, reimagining. I loved the breaking of the fourth wall, I loved certain stand-alone chapters, and I loved a music cue just dropping in from the future. Somewhat occurring at a breakneck speed, at times I could feel the swoosh as wind on the back of my neck as the narrative zoomed in on characters moving about the veritable game board of Tenoxtitlan. All the words were just really fun, y'know?