Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen 2011
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0062026771
ISBN-13: 978-0062026774
About the Book:
Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she’s dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she’s trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.
Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.
Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, hereafter is a sensation you won’t want to miss.
My Review:
Hereafter is a haunting story of a teenage girl stuck in a nightmare of an afterlife where she doesn’t know who she is, and can’t be seen or heard to ask anyone to help her. It isn’t until she meets Joshua that she finally starts to remember, and piece together her memories of her past life, but another ghost (Eli) doesn’t want her to be happy, and will do anything to keep her to himself. Also standing between the two, is Joshua’s family heritage, and his supposed destiny as a ‘seer’. I loved the build-up of the book, and the momentum it gained throughout the first half or so, but was fairly disappointed with the flow of the second half. It seemed rushed, as though the author tried to cram to many ideas into a limited amount of pages (or a quickly approaching deadline). Several questions went unanswered, and things seemed to happen miraculously, just when needed, with no real explanation as to how or why. I did enjoy the book overall, and hope to see the story continue with another book; ideally with more answers than questions in the next one!
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