Review: The Everafter by Amy Huntley

I couldn't put this one down.  The first lines of The Everafter grabbed me and didn't let go.

"I am dead. 

Not my-parent-told-me-to-be-home-by-twelve-and-it's-two-o'clock-now dead.  Just dead.  Literally.

I think."


At first, Madison is not sure where she is, or isn't.  She feels a crushing nothingness, except for a small light.  She calls this place "is" until she can figure out exactly what "is" might be.  Only one thing she knows for sure - she is dead.  When Madison figures out how to get to that spark of light, she is surrounded by objects that she had lost throughout her life.  By touching these objects, she is transported to the times in her life from when they were lost - a sweatshirt, a rattle, a hair clip, and earring.  They are her only companions, her only thread to the life she has left behind.  She discovers the truths about her life...and her death.

Manipulating these objects might change her life, but does she want to change these moments?  By changing moments, will she change the essence of who she was, who she still is?   She can't remember how she died.  How does she find out?  Does she want to?

I have to say - isn't this a beautiful cover?  It's what drew me to this book at first.  However, when I read what the book was about, even when I read other reviews praising this debut novel, I was hesitant.  Did I want to read a book about someone essentially being trapped between their living world and what I would like to call "heaven"?  It sounded dark and scary to me.  Still, when the book became available at my library, I couldn't resist. 

Wow.  No resistance after the first page, I can tell you.  Madison (Maddy) doesn't know where she is, but she figures it out.  She learns which memories to return to and which ones to leave alone.  For example, she returns to a memory of her eight year-old self getting hurt several times, not to feel the pain, but to feel her mom's arms around her, brushing her hair with her hand, telling her everything will be okay ("is" doesn't seem too scary if you can return to your mom for comfort whenever you need to).   She also visits her best friend, Sandra, her sister, Kristen, and, most importantly, her boyfriend, Gabriel. 

An original story that began when Amy Huntley's co-worker said wouldn't it be funny if all the things we've lost throughout our lives turned up waiting for us in the hereafter the Everafter is a thought-provoking book that I was wrong to dismiss.   In this case, I should have judged the book by the cover!  Beautiful.


For author bio, audio clips, and more visit Amy Huntley online.

To read the first chapter, visit The Everafter at Harper Collins Children's Books.

*FTC Statement:  A copy of this book was borrowed from my local library.
About the Book:
The Everafter by Amy Huntley
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (September 29, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061776793
ISBN-13: 978-0061776793


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