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After Life
Evocative, suspenseful and beautifully written, After Life introduces a truly original voice, utterly contemporary, but also a true storyteller in the classic sense.
So begins After Life , a psychological suspense tale, set in a place that is a world of its own, out of time, and almost off the map. Born in New Orleans, Naomi Ash is raised by her mother, a medium who has schooled Naomi in parlor-trick quackery and the various methods used to tell customers what they most need to hear. A little magic, a little theatre, a little bending of the letter of the law lead mother and daughter to relocate hastily to Train Line--a strange, tiny hamlet of shabby, gingerbread-frilled cottages; card readers; table-levitators; low-rent "Psychic Faires" at the local Holiday Inn, and of course, "The Mother Galina Psychic Hour" (Naomi's mother's own radio enterprise).
In this environment, Naomi Ash comes of age; comes to terms with her own nascent spiritual gifts--and begins to distinguish what might be her own true vision from fakery and fraud. Then a young graduate student, Peter Morton, blows into town. And Naomi falls in love.
So begins After Life , a psychological suspense tale, set in a place that is a world of its own, out of time, and almost off the map. Born in New Orleans, Naomi Ash is raised by her mother, a medium who has schooled Naomi in parlor-trick quackery and the various methods used to tell customers what they most need to hear. A little magic, a little theatre, a little bending of the letter of the law lead mother and daughter to relocate hastily to Train Line--a strange, tiny hamlet of shabby, gingerbread-frilled cottages; card readers; table-levitators; low-rent "Psychic Faires" at the local Holiday Inn, and of course, "The Mother Galina Psychic Hour" (Naomi's mother's own radio enterprise).
In this environment, Naomi Ash comes of age; comes to terms with her own nascent spiritual gifts--and begins to distinguish what might be her own true vision from fakery and fraud. Then a young graduate student, Peter Morton, blows into town. And Naomi falls in love.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published July 17, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
August 11, 2012
I really don't know where to begin, so maybe we start with a few facts. The title and description captivated me, the unknown is intriguing interesting almost intoxicating. This book took me 3 weeks to read, for some people who may be average, but 300 pages should take a few days tops for me. It wasn't because I was busy or distracted. After Life read like Average Joe Workingman's Biography: The Accounting Firm Employment Years. If that sounds like a harsh criticism well, it is what it is intended. The story read on and on how this happened, and this person went to dinner with this person, and someone made a Halloween costume. Nothing ever happens to progress the story from the opening paragraph when Naomi drags the dead body of her lover down the stairs, into the boat and buries him to be forgotten forever.
For the next 290 pages the book stumbles to tell you a story of a self-centered mother who never shows affection to a daughter dying to be loved and a town who filled with hundreds of psychics, mediums, clairvoyants and fortune tellers allows a murder to happen under their nose but never notice the act... but at the same time convincing you that "hey, all this hocus pocus it true." Really? Everyone in the town can communicate with the dead and no one knew poor Peter lied buried and murdered for a decade. Now if you believe in mediums or psychics I am not insulting your beliefs, I believe in aliens, who am I to judge. But don't tell me someone, a whole community is gifted and communicates daily with the dead who walk amongst us and no one was tipped off by these events.
Aside from my displeasure with the actual story the novel just had no hook, the reason it took me 3 weeks to finish the tale and liken it to an Average Joe's Biography was just that, it never moved. Page after page the author describes daily mundane activities and history in the character's lives. Like a 2 hour directors cut of a laundry detergent commercial. It wasn't a who-done-it, the murderer is revealed in the opening moments. It wasn't a haunting. It's about a girl who kills a boy and goes about her normal life for ten years, and this is her first-person view of her life.
I kept waiting for a twist, waiting to find out she died and was a ghost among the mediums. No, nothing, just a story about a girl who killed someone ten years prior and did nothing since but work and read a few palms.
In closing a question you may be wondering. Why would you read 300 pages of a book you disliked so much?
Well, first I was hoping the book would kick in and a story for the ages was waiting to blossom, it didn't.
Second, I paid $4.99 for the Kindle Edition and I owed it to myself to finish this book to warn others of its pitfalls.
Take head, do not read.
For the next 290 pages the book stumbles to tell you a story of a self-centered mother who never shows affection to a daughter dying to be loved and a town who filled with hundreds of psychics, mediums, clairvoyants and fortune tellers allows a murder to happen under their nose but never notice the act... but at the same time convincing you that "hey, all this hocus pocus it true." Really? Everyone in the town can communicate with the dead and no one knew poor Peter lied buried and murdered for a decade. Now if you believe in mediums or psychics I am not insulting your beliefs, I believe in aliens, who am I to judge. But don't tell me someone, a whole community is gifted and communicates daily with the dead who walk amongst us and no one was tipped off by these events.
Aside from my displeasure with the actual story the novel just had no hook, the reason it took me 3 weeks to finish the tale and liken it to an Average Joe's Biography was just that, it never moved. Page after page the author describes daily mundane activities and history in the character's lives. Like a 2 hour directors cut of a laundry detergent commercial. It wasn't a who-done-it, the murderer is revealed in the opening moments. It wasn't a haunting. It's about a girl who kills a boy and goes about her normal life for ten years, and this is her first-person view of her life.
I kept waiting for a twist, waiting to find out she died and was a ghost among the mediums. No, nothing, just a story about a girl who killed someone ten years prior and did nothing since but work and read a few palms.
In closing a question you may be wondering. Why would you read 300 pages of a book you disliked so much?
Well, first I was hoping the book would kick in and a story for the ages was waiting to blossom, it didn't.
Second, I paid $4.99 for the Kindle Edition and I owed it to myself to finish this book to warn others of its pitfalls.
Take head, do not read.
January 24, 2014
I was reading this book at work, really delving into it, when a coworker asked the ominous question: "What are you reading?" I tried to explain "After Life" in short sentences. A woman who works as a medium, in a town of mediums, clairvoyants, and charlatans, kills someone and she is trying to keep it a secret after they find the bones of the body that she buried, using the woman's, Naomi's, own mother to help with the investigation. As I'm telling my coworker this, I realize that this is kind of a cheesy description, something of of Montell William's Sylvia Brown episode, so I had to clarify. "It sounds like a dumb book when I describe it like that, and there is a ton of skeptics when it comes to seances, Ouija boards, and talking to the dead, but what makes this compelling is that there is no facade that the mediums are ever really telling the truth. Naomi says that it is mostly parlor tricks in the very beginning of the novel so you think that if she is bold enough to out everyone she knows as shams, then there has to be some sort of truth to the rest of the narrative. This is what makes it interesting." Of course my co-worker did not say much else and did not ask again.
There are things about Ms. Ellis's writing that I like. The biggest one is that she uses a sense of smell to describe a great amount of her settings. It has been proven that smell is the best sense memory so as I am reading, even though I'm not there, I can envision the rooms and places exactly as they are because I can smell them. She also spends a great amount of time with delicate details, trying to describe the daily lives of people, where they go, what they eat, how they walk. This detail can be boring to some, but to me it really creates a large landscape for the action. She is good at writing in a manner that makes you feel as if you are part of the place, a person in town, hearing the story of Naomi Ash being told in a calculated, thoughtful way.
And this is what "After Life" is about for me. It is how a person can do something that is horrendous, like kill someone and hide it, and have to deal with the consequences by going through each day, step by step, minute by minute, with a tension of hope that she will never get caught. It causes life to real end, and even though it has not ended physically, it has ended in a spiritual sense.
There are things about Ms. Ellis's writing that I like. The biggest one is that she uses a sense of smell to describe a great amount of her settings. It has been proven that smell is the best sense memory so as I am reading, even though I'm not there, I can envision the rooms and places exactly as they are because I can smell them. She also spends a great amount of time with delicate details, trying to describe the daily lives of people, where they go, what they eat, how they walk. This detail can be boring to some, but to me it really creates a large landscape for the action. She is good at writing in a manner that makes you feel as if you are part of the place, a person in town, hearing the story of Naomi Ash being told in a calculated, thoughtful way.
And this is what "After Life" is about for me. It is how a person can do something that is horrendous, like kill someone and hide it, and have to deal with the consequences by going through each day, step by step, minute by minute, with a tension of hope that she will never get caught. It causes life to real end, and even though it has not ended physically, it has ended in a spiritual sense.
July 31, 2012
With this book, I decided to try keeping a reader's journal, because I never write down as much as I should whilst reading; and why is that? Ah well, enough about me: here is the first reader's journal entry I made whilst reading this book:
As of this writing, I am up to page 124 of "After Life," and it is an intriguing read that has raised a bunch of questions, because the first chapter "What I Did" starts off with narrator, Naomi Ash, saying: "First I had to get his body into the boat." Thus, although we know that Naomi has killed Peter, whose body she is trying to dispose of, we have no idea why she did it, and thus far there isn't really much to clue us in on the nature of their relationship and what would lead her to commit murder.
Naomi is the daughter of a clairvoyant, who becomes one herself - and the way she describes the supernatural is along the lines of how Naomi sums up how she felt after early experiences in developing her abilities: "I never doubted the validity of what I heard. Whether it was strictly true or not didn't matter, because truth, I knew, could be interpreted a thousand ways."
I think that might sum up what this book is about, which is the blurred lines between truth and lies, and while I think Naomi believes in the supernatural, it is not clear if she is delusional or not. Regardless, she is a hard nut to crack, because on one hand she confides some of her deepest secrets, yet she doesn’t actually seem to reveal much about herself.
So now: the author has created a nice sense of mystery and intrigue and this is the type of book seems as it will hinge on the ending; and as of now I can't figure out how it's going to end, or why Naomi killed Peter. So fingers crossed that Ellis can pull off a doozy of an ending.
Unfortunately, that was also the last journal entree - I need to be a tad more consistent. Nonethelest, I think what stood about this book is how the author crafted the narrator in such a way that she seems like someone that is left undefined in many respects. And I think the narrator is one of those 'water-reflective' characters in which one's reaction to her says more about oneself than the character.
Overall, the key attractions: a beautifully written character and setting driven novel that is rather haunting, and I will be interested to see if this one has what I think of as 'stickiness' ~ which is kinda the same thing as being memorable, but I like the term 'stickiness' more than 'memorable' for whatevs reason.
As of this writing, I am up to page 124 of "After Life," and it is an intriguing read that has raised a bunch of questions, because the first chapter "What I Did" starts off with narrator, Naomi Ash, saying: "First I had to get his body into the boat." Thus, although we know that Naomi has killed Peter, whose body she is trying to dispose of, we have no idea why she did it, and thus far there isn't really much to clue us in on the nature of their relationship and what would lead her to commit murder.
Naomi is the daughter of a clairvoyant, who becomes one herself - and the way she describes the supernatural is along the lines of how Naomi sums up how she felt after early experiences in developing her abilities: "I never doubted the validity of what I heard. Whether it was strictly true or not didn't matter, because truth, I knew, could be interpreted a thousand ways."
I think that might sum up what this book is about, which is the blurred lines between truth and lies, and while I think Naomi believes in the supernatural, it is not clear if she is delusional or not. Regardless, she is a hard nut to crack, because on one hand she confides some of her deepest secrets, yet she doesn’t actually seem to reveal much about herself.
So now: the author has created a nice sense of mystery and intrigue and this is the type of book seems as it will hinge on the ending; and as of now I can't figure out how it's going to end, or why Naomi killed Peter. So fingers crossed that Ellis can pull off a doozy of an ending.
Unfortunately, that was also the last journal entree - I need to be a tad more consistent. Nonethelest, I think what stood about this book is how the author crafted the narrator in such a way that she seems like someone that is left undefined in many respects. And I think the narrator is one of those 'water-reflective' characters in which one's reaction to her says more about oneself than the character.
Overall, the key attractions: a beautifully written character and setting driven novel that is rather haunting, and I will be interested to see if this one has what I think of as 'stickiness' ~ which is kinda the same thing as being memorable, but I like the term 'stickiness' more than 'memorable' for whatevs reason.
July 17, 2012
I'm not sure where I first heard about AFTER LIFE, but when I saw it at the library, I snatched it up. It's a unique murder mystery in that we know from the first page that the protagonist Naomi Ash has killed her boyfriend Peter, and the mystery is discovering how and why she did it. After his bones are unearthed a decade later, Naomi begins to tell us about it. The story alternates between present day events and Naomi's memories of past events leading up to Peter's death.
Naomi is a medium, just like her mother. They moved to a spiritualist colony in Train Line, New York, when she was young. Spiritualism is a religious belief that there is an alternate world where spirits of the dead live and certain people (mediums) can communicate with them. One theme that plays back and forth throughout the book is fake versus real. Naomi herself didn't believe in it as a child as she watched how her mother "fudged" spiritual readings to make it more believable to her clients. Whether her mother was a true medium or not, I don't know, but Naomi seemed like the real deal to me.
Naomi is one of the most lost and lonely heroines I've read. After finishing the book, I'm still not sure how I feel about her. I don't dislike her in spite of what she did. I mostly feel sad for her and for Peter.
The story was well written, and I enjoyed the rich descriptions the author used for the sights, smells, and characters.
It's hard to say what, exactly, AFTER LIFE was about. It was many things. Peter's death. Naomi's life. Her relationship with her eccentric mother. Spiritualism. What's real and what we hope is real.
I enjoyed the author's engaging writing style. It felt like I was in the story listening to Naomi tell me about her life, and I was hanging on every word. The plot was slow-paced in spots, because she did go into a lot of detail about everyday events, some of them didn't seem to move the story along, but maybe they would have meaning to another reader.
AFTER LIFE was a haunting tale to say the least, one that left me with lots to think about. I'm glad I read it, and I wouldn't hesitate to read more from this author. Recommended!
Naomi is a medium, just like her mother. They moved to a spiritualist colony in Train Line, New York, when she was young. Spiritualism is a religious belief that there is an alternate world where spirits of the dead live and certain people (mediums) can communicate with them. One theme that plays back and forth throughout the book is fake versus real. Naomi herself didn't believe in it as a child as she watched how her mother "fudged" spiritual readings to make it more believable to her clients. Whether her mother was a true medium or not, I don't know, but Naomi seemed like the real deal to me.
"...and we need each other, the dead and the living. Our lives are meaningless without the afterlife, and well, their lives are meaningless without the...antedeath."
Naomi is one of the most lost and lonely heroines I've read. After finishing the book, I'm still not sure how I feel about her. I don't dislike her in spite of what she did. I mostly feel sad for her and for Peter.
The story was well written, and I enjoyed the rich descriptions the author used for the sights, smells, and characters.
"On the lake, I rowed hard, my feet braced somewhat awkwardly on either side of Peter. Mist still hung over the surface, and droplets clung to my eyelashes and hair. The lake had been carved by glaciers; it was long and slender as a crooked finger."
It's hard to say what, exactly, AFTER LIFE was about. It was many things. Peter's death. Naomi's life. Her relationship with her eccentric mother. Spiritualism. What's real and what we hope is real.
I enjoyed the author's engaging writing style. It felt like I was in the story listening to Naomi tell me about her life, and I was hanging on every word. The plot was slow-paced in spots, because she did go into a lot of detail about everyday events, some of them didn't seem to move the story along, but maybe they would have meaning to another reader.
AFTER LIFE was a haunting tale to say the least, one that left me with lots to think about. I'm glad I read it, and I wouldn't hesitate to read more from this author. Recommended!
February 2, 2011
After Life was a delight to read from beginning to end. The novel opens with the compelling line: “First I had to get his body into the boat.” The narrator is Naomi Ash, a woman in her early 30s who lives in Train Line, a whole town owned by The Church of Spiritualist Studies in Upstate New York.
"My first impression of the town was of clutter. Cars were parked nearly on the front steps, cats jumped from porch roofs and windowsills, hanging plants and wind chimes and mobiles dangled by every door. Winnie Sandox – said one painted wooden sign – Reader. And another: Mrs. Lawrence, Medium, is out. I couldn’t believe it: a town made just for us."
It really is a town for Naomi and her mother, Madame Galina, who is a medium.
After Ellis is Naomi’s story. It’s the story of her relationship with her mother, the story of her relationship with the quirky little town and its odd assortment of characters and her relationship with Peter.
It is also about Naomi’s relationship with the dead. Although she grew up helping her mother augment her readings with sounds and voices, Naomi doesn’t really believe in any of it or as she says: “I sort of believed. I pretended to. I enjoyed the attention I got when I worked message services and sat for seances , and sometimes I felt the thrill of connection, but part of me held back.”
When Naomi hears her first voice, everything changes.
After Life is a wonderful novel. Naomi is a terrific character: flawed and odd and vulnerable. The novel’s mystery – who is this ‘body’ she has to get in the boat and why – propels the story along at a thriller-like clip, but ultimately After Life is really about a woman trying to make her way in the world, which just happens to include a few ghosts.
Loved it.
"My first impression of the town was of clutter. Cars were parked nearly on the front steps, cats jumped from porch roofs and windowsills, hanging plants and wind chimes and mobiles dangled by every door. Winnie Sandox – said one painted wooden sign – Reader. And another: Mrs. Lawrence, Medium, is out. I couldn’t believe it: a town made just for us."
It really is a town for Naomi and her mother, Madame Galina, who is a medium.
After Ellis is Naomi’s story. It’s the story of her relationship with her mother, the story of her relationship with the quirky little town and its odd assortment of characters and her relationship with Peter.
It is also about Naomi’s relationship with the dead. Although she grew up helping her mother augment her readings with sounds and voices, Naomi doesn’t really believe in any of it or as she says: “I sort of believed. I pretended to. I enjoyed the attention I got when I worked message services and sat for seances , and sometimes I felt the thrill of connection, but part of me held back.”
When Naomi hears her first voice, everything changes.
After Life is a wonderful novel. Naomi is a terrific character: flawed and odd and vulnerable. The novel’s mystery – who is this ‘body’ she has to get in the boat and why – propels the story along at a thriller-like clip, but ultimately After Life is really about a woman trying to make her way in the world, which just happens to include a few ghosts.
Loved it.
July 22, 2012
3.5 stars
After Life holds the promise of a mystery delving into the world of spiritualism. If you’re looking for a philosophical journey and deeply poignant read, this book will please. Set in a unique town where secrets are kept, insight into the future occurs, and regrets of the past lurk in an interesting tale about a girl lost, longing for what she believes before finding and facing her reality. Are her abilities and those around her truly psychic or just a highly developed sense of observation mix with chance prediction? The book opens with the death of Peter and travels backwards in order to move forward. What After Life lacks is the anticipation usually found in a mystery, death novel. I was longing for a twist. Although, the story is character driven, and rich in detail, the mystery is a little dry due to the amount of introspective examination by the narrator. What the book does well is thematically weave the belief of death, what the after life is, what it is to live and die and transcend on various levels. Without giving away the ending, I thought Naomi's awakening and life after her emotional death was clever and touching.
After Life holds the promise of a mystery delving into the world of spiritualism. If you’re looking for a philosophical journey and deeply poignant read, this book will please. Set in a unique town where secrets are kept, insight into the future occurs, and regrets of the past lurk in an interesting tale about a girl lost, longing for what she believes before finding and facing her reality. Are her abilities and those around her truly psychic or just a highly developed sense of observation mix with chance prediction? The book opens with the death of Peter and travels backwards in order to move forward. What After Life lacks is the anticipation usually found in a mystery, death novel. I was longing for a twist. Although, the story is character driven, and rich in detail, the mystery is a little dry due to the amount of introspective examination by the narrator. What the book does well is thematically weave the belief of death, what the after life is, what it is to live and die and transcend on various levels. Without giving away the ending, I thought Naomi's awakening and life after her emotional death was clever and touching.
May 17, 2023
This story starts out with a description of murder. Then it flips to life of Naomi who is a medium. She lives in a western New York town called Train Line. It reminds me of the description of Lily Dale, which is also in western NY. The story basically is about her day to day life with the murder hanging over her head. At the end of the story you find out what really happened. I did not find this to a very exciting story. They wasn’t any suspense. I probably will not read again. It was a nice story, and I enjoyed it ok. It just wasn’t a can’t set it down kind of story.
July 9, 2020
The book started out interesting but dragged on and on. The mystery finally came to light but didn’t satisfy. It was a disappointment.
June 25, 2011
I had to think about the impact of this book before trying to write an adequate review. I think the mark of a good book is one that perplexes, challenges and haunts. All three of those are reactions I have to the authors debut novel.
Unlike many mystery books wherein we are introduced to a murder and wonder who did it, After Life begins with a statement by the perpetrator acknowledging her misdeed. The opening line -- "First I had to get his body into the boat" -- sets the tone as throughout the book we learn details of the murder, but it isn't until the end, when the reader learns why it occurred.
Naomi Ash by all accounts should not be a like able character, yet in the authors clear, perceptive writing, one cannot help but grow to feel empathy for Naomi.
Deftly weaving a tale of spiritualism, while tracing the roots of this movement from its beginnings in the US, we are transported to Train Line, NY. Therein, the reader feels as though they are a part of the every day happenings of a small town, filled with eccentric, mystical folk who are not above using a little fakery to assist people in reaching their loved ones who have passed to the other side.
Naomi follows in her mother's footsteps and taps into abilities in the spiritualistic realm. Dabbling with her talents, she is sporadically successful in her endeavors, but as with all things in her life, she lacks a drive, gumption and motivation to take control. She is lazy, rarely bathes and fails to develop social skills. She cares little for her appearance, has no friends and seems incapable of sustaining any depth of feeling.
Peter Morton arrives in her life and takes her by surprise. Finding she is capable of love is a unique revelation. Her joy is short term. The book weaves past with present when we learn that ten years ago, she killed Peter and buried his body in the surrounding woods of Train Life.
When a contractor unearths the body, she prays that Peter is not one of the spirits that can communicate with her.
Slow in pace, this book takes the reader by surprise. The author superbly weaves a story of guilt and redemption, of truth and lies, of black, white and gray.
Recommended.
Unlike many mystery books wherein we are introduced to a murder and wonder who did it, After Life begins with a statement by the perpetrator acknowledging her misdeed. The opening line -- "First I had to get his body into the boat" -- sets the tone as throughout the book we learn details of the murder, but it isn't until the end, when the reader learns why it occurred.
Naomi Ash by all accounts should not be a like able character, yet in the authors clear, perceptive writing, one cannot help but grow to feel empathy for Naomi.
Deftly weaving a tale of spiritualism, while tracing the roots of this movement from its beginnings in the US, we are transported to Train Line, NY. Therein, the reader feels as though they are a part of the every day happenings of a small town, filled with eccentric, mystical folk who are not above using a little fakery to assist people in reaching their loved ones who have passed to the other side.
Naomi follows in her mother's footsteps and taps into abilities in the spiritualistic realm. Dabbling with her talents, she is sporadically successful in her endeavors, but as with all things in her life, she lacks a drive, gumption and motivation to take control. She is lazy, rarely bathes and fails to develop social skills. She cares little for her appearance, has no friends and seems incapable of sustaining any depth of feeling.
Peter Morton arrives in her life and takes her by surprise. Finding she is capable of love is a unique revelation. Her joy is short term. The book weaves past with present when we learn that ten years ago, she killed Peter and buried his body in the surrounding woods of Train Life.
When a contractor unearths the body, she prays that Peter is not one of the spirits that can communicate with her.
Slow in pace, this book takes the reader by surprise. The author superbly weaves a story of guilt and redemption, of truth and lies, of black, white and gray.
Recommended.
July 29, 2015
Slow with an Unlikable Heroine
AFTER LIFE is the hardest book for me to rate since I've begun reading and reviewing books on Amazon KIndle.
Brian Ellis is a sumptuous writer: her descriptions are luscious and full and evocative; her analogies stunning. But there is much more to novel_-making than gorgeous writing, and that's called story, and to a lesser extent, character. There really is no story here. Ellis starts us off with a bang, then leaves us hanging for most of the rest of the book- dying of boredom amidst her beautiful prose.
And what about character? No one really to root much for here- not even the dead guy. The mother- daughter relationship, to me, simply never develops. And as for Naomi...oh, my. Perhaps a spoiler alert, but some of her actions toward Peter, the boyfriend she accidentally- yes, it was an accident, kills are horrendous- arguably far worse than the so-called called crime itself as that was, in fact as stated, an accident in the middle of a fight. Naomi messes with the guys head; and then her actions afterward- the cover-up are truly inexcusable. And inexplicable. She has no arc. And why, in God's name does not ONE of all these psychics pick up on this in TEN years! Are they all protecting her? All fakes? Ellis can't seem to make up her line-up especially about the Mom, which leaves the whole book wobbly.
But there is that writing!
For that reason alone, I will certainly search out this author for other work.
Her writing is something you can feast on. I hope she developed her storytelling after this one.
AFTER LIFE is the hardest book for me to rate since I've begun reading and reviewing books on Amazon KIndle.
Brian Ellis is a sumptuous writer: her descriptions are luscious and full and evocative; her analogies stunning. But there is much more to novel_-making than gorgeous writing, and that's called story, and to a lesser extent, character. There really is no story here. Ellis starts us off with a bang, then leaves us hanging for most of the rest of the book- dying of boredom amidst her beautiful prose.
And what about character? No one really to root much for here- not even the dead guy. The mother- daughter relationship, to me, simply never develops. And as for Naomi...oh, my. Perhaps a spoiler alert, but some of her actions toward Peter, the boyfriend she accidentally- yes, it was an accident, kills are horrendous- arguably far worse than the so-called called crime itself as that was, in fact as stated, an accident in the middle of a fight. Naomi messes with the guys head; and then her actions afterward- the cover-up are truly inexcusable. And inexplicable. She has no arc. And why, in God's name does not ONE of all these psychics pick up on this in TEN years! Are they all protecting her? All fakes? Ellis can't seem to make up her line-up especially about the Mom, which leaves the whole book wobbly.
But there is that writing!
For that reason alone, I will certainly search out this author for other work.
Her writing is something you can feast on. I hope she developed her storytelling after this one.
July 21, 2012
The second of the Nancy Pearl Book Lust Rediscovery series, After Life is an unexpected and unique read. The book is well written and the perspective of the main character is more than just interesting. Nancy Pearl writes in the forward that she has saved some of the lines in her personal notebooks and she quotes one or two. I like the way the author puts her words and thoughts together. I especially liked, "My empty heart was collapsing in on itself. A lonely life is a crime without witnesses, it is a movie played in a locked theater; can you ever really be sure what happens in it? Can you be sure it happened at all?"
I won't attempt to describe this book, much better descriptions may be found elsewhere, particularly read what Ms. Pearl writes, but I will say it is a great read for a lazy summer weekend.
I won't attempt to describe this book, much better descriptions may be found elsewhere, particularly read what Ms. Pearl writes, but I will say it is a great read for a lazy summer weekend.
February 9, 2014
This book hooked me in from the very first sentence and kept me hooked to the very end. I will not describe the plot as that has already been done much better than I could ever begin to do. What I will try to do is tell you why I enjoyed this book so much. I could see, smell, and taste this story. The author somehow transported me into Naomi Ash's mind. I read this book in two sittings (unusual for me) because I simply found it hard to put it down. I certainly hope Ellis will write another novel. Her characters in this one are so vividly drawn that I felt as though I had known them myself.
February 7, 2017
I picked up this book randomly because the cover caught my eye and when I read the description about a spiritual community of mediums, I thought it would be interesting. I think it could have been interesting, except for nothing happened in this book! Most of the book just seemed to have no point. How can a book with mediums, a murder, and a hidden body be so boring? I kept reading expecting it to get better or at least have an exciting ending, but the whole book just fell flat.
June 12, 2012
I think I would give this 3.5 stars. High marks for very interesting, very unusual compelling characters. I don't usually like murder stories at all but that part along with the unique angle kept me reading and enjoying this. The negative part is I was left wanting more of a story, there is not a whole lot of action, it's a lot of flashing back and forward which paints a picture of the characters and the murder.
July 13, 2012
Strange story of a young woman's guilt over accidentally killing her boyfriend. The guilt and fear are exacerbated when ten years later, his bones are excavated. The setting is based on Lily Dale a community in NY limited to Spiritualists - two of which are the narrator and her mother. Fascinating read - couldn't put it down. Read on trip west.
August 1, 2013
I could not put this down once I started reading. It had me rooting for the main character and hoping no one would discover her crime. I also found the spiritualism aspect fascinating.
May 30, 2018
I tore through this book in under 24 hours. There are many things I loved about this little gem of a novel, but I think the thing I loved most was the writing style. Rhian Ellis made me feel as if I were in Naomi’s head, thinking and feeling everything she was. I understood Naomi’s frustrations, sorrow, fear, anger, and more. It was so easy to read and follow along, but it also didn’t play down to me like I’m a third grader. Ellis writes with a voice that’s natural, intimate, and authentic in so many ways.
As for the plot, I loved it, too. A body showing up in a town of mediums? Wonderful. I’ve seen people complaining about how nothing happened in the book, and you barely get any of the mystery, but I don’t agree with that at all. The mystery is there the whole time, even in moments when the reader thinks it’s not, and that degree of subtlety is one of the reasons why I appreciate the novel so deeply. It’s a rare occurrence for a writer to “write about nothing” (an argument that’s always debatable and subjective, anyway) and have it stay interesting and useful to the story.
One thing I’m a little confused on is how one gets to be a medium in this town. The mainstream idea that we get from various types of media is that you’re born with it, and it’s considered a gift, whereas in the book, it seems like anyone and everyone can be a medium. Maybe I missed a little bit of something, but also maybe that’s the point. Maybe we’re supposed to be confused about how it works because there just isn’t a right answer.
Anyway, I loved this book, and I’m disappointed to see such low ratings for it. I recommend this to anyone who loves a good literary mystery but is character-driven rather than plot-driven. Also, for my death positive homies, this one is definitely worth the time to check out!
As for the plot, I loved it, too. A body showing up in a town of mediums? Wonderful. I’ve seen people complaining about how nothing happened in the book, and you barely get any of the mystery, but I don’t agree with that at all. The mystery is there the whole time, even in moments when the reader thinks it’s not, and that degree of subtlety is one of the reasons why I appreciate the novel so deeply. It’s a rare occurrence for a writer to “write about nothing” (an argument that’s always debatable and subjective, anyway) and have it stay interesting and useful to the story.
One thing I’m a little confused on is how one gets to be a medium in this town. The mainstream idea that we get from various types of media is that you’re born with it, and it’s considered a gift, whereas in the book, it seems like anyone and everyone can be a medium. Maybe I missed a little bit of something, but also maybe that’s the point. Maybe we’re supposed to be confused about how it works because there just isn’t a right answer.
Anyway, I loved this book, and I’m disappointed to see such low ratings for it. I recommend this to anyone who loves a good literary mystery but is character-driven rather than plot-driven. Also, for my death positive homies, this one is definitely worth the time to check out!
May 15, 2017
After Life felt a little like a murder mystery being told in reverse. With the opening line of "First I had to get his body in the boat", we are introduced to Naomi Ash: psychic medium, murderer, and the main character and narrator of this novel. From that opening scene in which Naomi is disposing of her boyfriend Peter's corpse, we then flash forward ten years into the future when his body is discovered. Naomi then begins to gradually reveal the events surrounding Peter's death, as her guilt and paranoia escalate. The crumbling of Naomi's psyche, as Peter begins to haunt her presented an interesting dynamic to the novel. She is definitely not a likable character: she's admittedly lazy and ummm... pretty psychotic. This made it fun for me though. I'm not the kind of reader who has to like the main character in order to like a book. In fact, I greatly admire the talent required to develop unsavory, twisted characters. I also enjoyed the unique setting of Train Line, a spiritualist colony in New York made up of psychics, mediums, fortune tellers, aura readers, etc.
I can see why the average rating for this book is on the low side. I'd say it's not for everyone, due to some of the reasons previously mentioned (like the unlikable protagonist); however, I have to give credit to Rhian Ellis for the talent and skill behind the writing of After Life.
☆☆☆☆
I can see why the average rating for this book is on the low side. I'd say it's not for everyone, due to some of the reasons previously mentioned (like the unlikable protagonist); however, I have to give credit to Rhian Ellis for the talent and skill behind the writing of After Life.
☆☆☆☆
February 16, 2023
Naomi Ash lives in a community of psychics, on the edge of a small town in New York state. Even though she participates in community activities, she feels somewhat like an outsider. And now she has a terrible secret that could lead to devastating consequences if revealed.
The story begins with a death, and it’s that death that more or less haunts Naomi. We learn bit by bit her involvement as the story progresses. Despite member psychic abilities, the secret keeps, until the end. And only then can Naomi find the rest she needs.
I found the story’s beginning confusing at first. Also, the way some of the characters are introduced also added to my confusion. Naomi narrates the story, so we get inside her head, which shows her torment and inconsistency. As interesting as the tale is, I couldn’t lose myself in it. The participants tend, for the most part, to lack clarity. I liked the ordinariness of the individuals. No blond gods or goddesses here, which was a relief. The food is ordinary, as are the clothes. The weather is convincing. C-c-c-cold or heat. I was particularly interested in the abilities of various psychics, how they vary and how their success or failure suggests that we all have some ability in that area, with some individuals more adept than others.
The writing is generally strong, and the story piques one’s interest. I definitely wanted to know, from page to page, what would happen.
The story begins with a death, and it’s that death that more or less haunts Naomi. We learn bit by bit her involvement as the story progresses. Despite member psychic abilities, the secret keeps, until the end. And only then can Naomi find the rest she needs.
I found the story’s beginning confusing at first. Also, the way some of the characters are introduced also added to my confusion. Naomi narrates the story, so we get inside her head, which shows her torment and inconsistency. As interesting as the tale is, I couldn’t lose myself in it. The participants tend, for the most part, to lack clarity. I liked the ordinariness of the individuals. No blond gods or goddesses here, which was a relief. The food is ordinary, as are the clothes. The weather is convincing. C-c-c-cold or heat. I was particularly interested in the abilities of various psychics, how they vary and how their success or failure suggests that we all have some ability in that area, with some individuals more adept than others.
The writing is generally strong, and the story piques one’s interest. I definitely wanted to know, from page to page, what would happen.
December 31, 2023
Naomi Ash lives in a community of psychics, on the edge of a small town in New York state. Even though she participates in community activities, she feels somewhat like an outsider. And now she has a terrible secret that could lead to devastating consequences if revealed.
The story begins with a death, and it’s that death that more or less haunts Naomi. We learn bit by bit her involvement as the story progresses. Despite member psychic abilities, the secret keeps, until the end. And only then can Naomi find the rest she needs.
I found the story’s beginning confusing at first. Also, the way some of the characters are introduced also added to my confusion. Naomi narrates the story, so we get inside her head, which shows her torment and inconsistency. As interesting as the tale is, I couldn’t lose myself in it. The participants tend, for the most part, to lack clarity. I liked the ordinariness of the individuals. No blond gods or goddesses here, which was a relief. The food is ordinary, as are the clothes. The weather is convincing. C-c-c-cold or heat. I was particularly interested in the abilities of various psychics, how they vary and how their success or failure suggests that we all have some ability in that area, with some individuals more adept than others.
The writing is generally strong, and the story piques one’s interest. I definitely wanted to know, from page to page, what would happen.
The story begins with a death, and it’s that death that more or less haunts Naomi. We learn bit by bit her involvement as the story progresses. Despite member psychic abilities, the secret keeps, until the end. And only then can Naomi find the rest she needs.
I found the story’s beginning confusing at first. Also, the way some of the characters are introduced also added to my confusion. Naomi narrates the story, so we get inside her head, which shows her torment and inconsistency. As interesting as the tale is, I couldn’t lose myself in it. The participants tend, for the most part, to lack clarity. I liked the ordinariness of the individuals. No blond gods or goddesses here, which was a relief. The food is ordinary, as are the clothes. The weather is convincing. C-c-c-cold or heat. I was particularly interested in the abilities of various psychics, how they vary and how their success or failure suggests that we all have some ability in that area, with some individuals more adept than others.
The writing is generally strong, and the story piques one’s interest. I definitely wanted to know, from page to page, what would happen.
September 10, 2020
This book was sort of like a mystery. The main character Naomi‘s mother is a medium so she grows up believing in mediums and learning who is really a medium.and who fakes it- her mother usually fakes it. As she grows up she becomes a medium and she knows that she can also fake it but she also does in fact have some psychic abilities. She talks about the fact that she has killed and buried someone but you don’t know who or why with the story tells you bits about it as it goes on. It made me wonder if she really did...or in fact kill someone, or because she’s a medium,she was seeing the murder through the killer’s eyes and not her own? The police find a buried body and begin an investigation. At this point her mother and Naomi have a move to a small town community that is full of mediums so that everyone is anxious to discover the truth about the body. It ends up that Naomi did kill someone her boyfriend and she tries to ignore it then runs away before she’s discovered. I enjoyed the book because it held my interest but I didn’t care for the character of Naomi and since it was about her life story wasn’t one of my favorites.
September 19, 2021
This is a wishy-washy one for me. I was hooked in the beginning, but as time moved along the story became mundane. This is just my opinion. I know each person has their own thoughts and feelings about different books. In a way, I was disappointed about the demise of Peter and I'm questioning if that makes me a bad person (ha ha). For Naomi to carry around her secret for ten years then just spilling her guts (after basically getting away with murder) was just bizarre. All in all, this one was just an "eh" for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2017
This book was about a murder, but you know who the killer is from the start. The book is really about the killer, who is a medium, and lives in a town of psychics. The book unfolds almost backwards, and deals more with the killer and their feelings. While it kept my attention all the way through, the main character is not extremely likable. There are certain aspects that also don't seem to have a lot to do with the main story. Interesting, yes, but I doubt I would ever read it again.
September 12, 2017
So well written! I completely enjoyed this story and it left me thinking of it days after I finished it.
I also really loved that it took place pre-smartphones-i.e. the gritty flannel-ridden late 90s! And the town of Train Line was fascinating! Great read!
I also really loved that it took place pre-smartphones-i.e. the gritty flannel-ridden late 90s! And the town of Train Line was fascinating! Great read!
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April 27, 2019Naomi, like her mother is a medium, and lives in a community of “spiritual folk”, and she has a secret, and her past is coming back to haunt her. This was a bit weird and I didn’t like the characters much, but I did read to the end to see what happened. Just ok.
December 31, 2023
A different and entertaining read. Naomi lives in Train Line, a colony of spiritualists, next door to her mom. Throughout the book people are introduced by their role or talent. Naomi is haunted by something that happened 10 years ago.
May 30, 2017
Interesting...not too thrilling or fast paced.
January 14, 2018
New age meets murder mystery. Well written, but not my cup of tea.
January 29, 2018
Eerie and poignant. How many books can say that? I loved it.
August 3, 2018
Good for you
Hi good I have been to a meeting with a couple friends that are on Twitter the time and the one that you are working
Hi good I have been to a meeting with a couple friends that are on Twitter the time and the one that you are working
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