The Book Nook

Keeping the faith   How can people live in an imperfect world without losing faith in themselves and others?  And how do they rebuild their life while still reeling from a major blow?  Those are two of the questions posed in “Afterlife” by Julia Alvarez.  They also form the challenges faced by Antonia Vega, the central character. Antonia and her husband Sam had waited years to enjoy life after she retired from her Vermont college teaching career.  But that dream was shattered by his sudden and expected death. A year later, she’s still blindsided by loss and resents that some people put a deadline on mourning.  Check-in calls from one of her three sisters feel more like intrusions than attempts to cheer her.  Saying “I’m OK” when asked how she’s doing feels more like a mantra than the truth.  She turns to her love of English literature as she struggles to avoid falling too deeply into sorrow Antonia’s quiet life is disrupted after she reluctantly agrees to two requests.  One comes from Mario, who works on her neighbor Roger’s farm.  Antonia is grateful whenever Roger sends Mario to do chores that she finds difficult, such as cleaning gutters.  Mario tells her is in love and needs her translation skills to reunite him with his girlfriend. The other request is from her sister Tilly, who has repeatedly urged Antonia to visit her in Chicago so the two can celebrate Antonia’s 66th birthday together.  Although she dislikes traveling, Antonia half-heartedly agrees to book a flight from Vermont. She’s dismayed when the modest birthday observance morphs into a reunion of all four sisters.  She realizes it’s easier to give in than try to explain why she doesn’t feel ready for a large celebration.  But the party is disrupted by a family crisis that will put more traveling in Antonia’s future than she’d like. Returning home from one such trip, she finds Mario’s girlfriend on her doorstep.  The couple had a huge fight and the frightened girl sobs that she nowhere to go.  Antonia does not want to get pulled into this situation, reasoning that she has enough problems of her own.  But she wonders what Sam would want her to do and if continually passing the moral buck will erode her overall sense of compassion.  Can she handle more headaches and will her love of literature continue to provide comfort and moral guidance? Alvarez is adept at using current events to probe personal moral decisions, and she’s able to do that in a non-divisive way.  In fact, her ability to put historical events into current narratives won her the National Medal of Arts in 2013.  “Afterlife” was published in 2020 and provides perspectives that will be familiar to some and new to others, but the keen-eyed observations of people will be recognizable by all. The author’s use of humor softens the approach to thorny issues, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions.  Tilly’s malapropisms are both funny and strangely appropriate to the situation.  The dynamic relationship of the sisters is another source of comedy and enriches the storyline. I liked that Antonia is shown as someone who cares enough to help others, but isn’t depicted as saintly.  This is demonstrated by her reluctance to get involved in others’ problems and in her frustration at their behavior and motives.  There’s recognition of the delicate dance that can exist between family members, who make you feel terrible one moment and cherished the next.  Although the sisters are often frustrating, the basis of their fluid relationship is rooted in love and loyalty. Alvarez draws on her own experiences to give weight to Antonia’s story, showing us change is possible through small acts of empathy, both towards ourselves and others.  She also makes excellent use of verse and literary quotes to emphasize her points. After focusing on poetry and books for young adults and children for the last fourteen years, “Afterlife” marks Alvarez’s return to adult novels and proves she’s still a skilled storyteller.  Her talent for using drama to highlight the country’s conflicts in a nonjudgmental way is impressive.  The writing style is open, reflective and powerful. Another challenge visited in this profound novel relates to personal identity and finding purpose while dealing with loss, with a nice balance between triumph and tragedy.  Antonia loves words yet understands the power of taking action.  Her journey shows we can recover from even severe blows and that helping others is a powerful tool for helping ourselves.