REVIEW: #58 The Everafter

Reading time: 2 – 4 minutes

Title: The Everafter

Author: Amy Huntley

ISBN: 0061776793

Pages: 256

Rating:

Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com)

Madison Stanton doesn’t know where she is or how she got there. But she does know this—she is dead. And alone, in a vast, dark space. The only company she has in this place are luminescent objects that turn out to be all the things Maddy lost while she was alive. And soon she discovers that with these artifacts, she can reexperience—and sometimes even change—moments from her life.

Her first kiss.

A trip to Disney World.

Her sister’s wedding.

A disastrous sleepover.

In reliving these moments, Maddy learns illuminating and sometimes frightening truths about her life—and death.

This is a haunting and ultimately hopeful novel about the beauty of even the most insignificant moments—and the strength of true love even beyond death.

Review:

This novel was short – so immediately I didn’t expect it to be incredibly detailed or even that meaningful. How much of a story can be told in less than 300 pages?

The Everafter was an easy read, although – like I had anticipated, not incredibly deep. Although it had every intention of being an inspirational life-after-death tale, I felt that it didn’t quite capture my reading loyalty. The relationships were semi-flat although it was obvious Huntley had intended for each character to be a meaningful and memorable one.

But truth be told, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve read this book and I can’t remember a single name. So – so much for being memorable.

Basically Madison (who appears to be of teen age in the novel) “wakes up” in an area of supreme nothingness. In my opinion, this is probably the catholic version of limbo. There is nothing here. No scenery. No company. No feeling of love or fear. Though Madison knows that she’s dead.

Before her are a series of random objects that have all been “lost” in life. Much like the butterfly effect, each item played a roll in how her life was shaped. Each time she touches one of the objects, she’s taken back in time to her life where she learns to control the outcome. But what happens when she finds the objects? What in her life changes? Is it for the better?

For me, the objects were pointless other than taking the reader down memory lane to gauge what he life was like before death. There was nothing particularly special about her. Madison was just your typical American teenager. And in doing so, this book was nothing particularly special – just your average, American, young adult read.

While it wasn’t awful – it’d be a good read for a beach day or a rainy day inside. But I wouldn’t expect to walk away with a feeling of a changed life. You may not remember it a week later, anyway.

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