Afterlife, Julia Alvarez, Algonquin Books, 2020, 256 pp
I read this for my One Book At A Time reading group. I loved it.
I have a vague memory of having read How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, this author's first novel, about four sisters adapting to New York City after being uprooted from their Dominican Republic home. All I remember is that I did not like it much, found the sisters too flighty and self-involved. I think that says more about me as a reader back then than about Julia Alvarez as an author.
Afterlife, her first adult novel in over 14 years, centers on Antonia; a senior woman, a retired professor of literature and a devastated new widow. This is an author writing what she knows (some of the story feels autobiographical) and what she doesn't know (she still has her husband.)
While Antonia is trying and mostly failing to deal with her bereavement, she is hit from all sides by the suffering of others, including her three sisters and an undocumented pregnant Mexican teen who shows up in her neighborhood. With all these distractions and calls upon her to assist others she finds a way to go on living, with new purpose and hope.
I loved the writing, which is as light as a backyard bird and as full of emotion and imagery as a poem. Antonia's mind and soul are full of literary references from the books she has read and taught for most of her life. Those insights provide sustenance but also require realignment when brought to bear on real life.
I can't say I loved all the characters because many are unlikable but I found empathy for them. Those sisters are just as self-involved and out of control emotionally, while equally bound by their loyalty to each other, as the Garcia sisters were.
All is leavened by moments of almost laugh-out-loud humor, keeping the dark tragedies of the story from overwhelming the tale. I felt cared for as a reader by this largehearted author.
Depending on the day you ask, I still sometimes feel like a 40-something woman but in truth I am in the same age bracket as Julia Alvarez. That may be why I felt her story so deeply. Work, family, politics, loss, can all be so disappointing. Novels like this keep me going when I need encouragement.
Oh my, you had me at : "Antonia; a senior woman, a retired professor of literature and a devastated new widow." The older I get the more I enjoy books featuring senior characters as well. I have a hard time relating to 20-something melodrama even, though, like you I generally feel younger than my years, closer inspection in front of the mirror sends me back to reality:)
ReplyDeleteThis one is for you!
DeleteOddly enough, yesterday I finished reading (for the first time) How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent. The stories have depth beyond first glance. I didn't find the girls any flightier or self-involved than any other girls their age. When in our life we read a book has such a great impact on our experience of it!
ReplyDelete"Depending on the day you ask, I still sometimes feel like a 40-something woman but in truth I am in the same age bracket as Julia Alvarez." Me too - Afterlife sounds like a wonderful choice for me.
Yes! When we read a book and what we have going on at the time has so much to do with how we receive it. I now want to go back to the Garcia Girls and read her other books, especially In the Time of the Butterflies.
DeleteSounds *heavy*.... but weirdly light too....
ReplyDeleteI also don't always 'feel my age' except when I'm feeling ill. Then I feel super-old! But my body does have a habit presently of reminding me I'm not as young as my brain thinks it is [grin].
I found it realistically heavy with some hope. Feeling young is more in the mind than in the body I think.
Deletethat was a subtle observation! i mean about the author being nice to the reader... we don't see that any too often... i like the trop about the backyard bird. i'm watching some while typing this: some are light alright, but i'm wary of that black raven staring me in the eyes from that nearby tree limb...
ReplyDeleteI am happy that you noticed and liked my observation. I like my reviews to not sound like reviews, more like a little story of my own and an opening to conversation. Also, I don't consider ravens to be a backyard bird. Then again I don't consider peacocks to be backyard birds either though my yard is often full of them.
Deletethey are here... actually humans are the interlopers; ravens have been here longer than us; probably why he gives me the fish eye, haha
DeleteIt's always so affirming to see that others have read and enjoyed a book that one loved. This one was a five-star read for me last year. I really should make a point of reading some of her other works that I've missed.
ReplyDeleteYes it is! I too want to read her other books, including some YA ones that look great!
DeleteHello! How brave of you to read a novel about an author you did not like in the past. But I'm glad you did it because I see that you found an enriching novel. For the synopsis it looks like a very sad book and it is noticeable that the writer made it to feel her writing lighthearting.
ReplyDeleteHello, Victoria! Yes, the story has much sadness in it but isn't life riddled with sadness? I do like a story of someone finding hope after loss.
DeleteThis sounds like a book I'd love... and I still have The Garcia Girls somewhere on my kindle. Was not wild about In the Time of Butterflies though.
ReplyDeleteIt is so interesting how we all react differently to books. This one certainly pleased me.
DeleteLike you, I read How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents years ago and do not remember much about it... I do have a sense that I did enjoy reading this novel though.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Afterlife, but will put on on my reading wishlist.
I assure you it will be worth your time!
DeleteSounds like a very impressive book. Unlikable characters can sometimes be the best characters. I find that this is true as long as they exhibit some depth.
ReplyDeleteBrian, I think unlikable characters are part of life so naturally they will be part of novels. Sometimes for me they have more depth than the likable ones!
DeleteI'm glad you liked this one. I hope to get to it.
ReplyDeleteI hope you do. It was just kind of perfect.
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