THE EVERAFTER is a truly original take on life after death, but it doesn't quite live up to its high potential, with underdeveloped characters, a complex but slow-moving plot, and an anticlimactic ending.
In one sense, a work of fiction is only as good as the sum of its parts, and readers only know of the characters what is essential. THE EVERAFTER takes this literally, as the character of Madison is shown to us readers via a series of seemingly random scenes from her life, some of which have more significance than others. It's a different way of approaching telling a story, and it may or may not work for you. For me, it didn't really help me better understand Maddy, which was disappointing.
The concept presented in THE EVERAFTER is very unique, but I'm always cautious about exciting-sounding ideas with mediocre execution, which is what this book turned out to be for me. Gabe and Maddy's romance, which is supposed to be an important part of the story, felt underdeveloped and unfamiliar to me, and I never really connected with any of the characters, nor believed in the ending, which was shocking, but not necessarily in a good way.
Still, fans of Gabrielle Zevin's ELSEWHERE and Alice Sebold's THE LOVELY BONES may find this book interesting and hard to put down.
In one sense, a work of fiction is only as good as the sum of its parts, and readers only know of the characters what is essential. THE EVERAFTER takes this literally, as the character of Madison is shown to us readers via a series of seemingly random scenes from her life, some of which have more significance than others. It's a different way of approaching telling a story, and it may or may not work for you. For me, it didn't really help me better understand Maddy, which was disappointing.
The concept presented in THE EVERAFTER is very unique, but I'm always cautious about exciting-sounding ideas with mediocre execution, which is what this book turned out to be for me. Gabe and Maddy's romance, which is supposed to be an important part of the story, felt underdeveloped and unfamiliar to me, and I never really connected with any of the characters, nor believed in the ending, which was shocking, but not necessarily in a good way.
Still, fans of Gabrielle Zevin's ELSEWHERE and Alice Sebold's THE LOVELY BONES may find this book interesting and hard to put down.
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