The Afterlife

Soto, Gary. 2003. The afterlife. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 0152047743

Plot Summary

17 year-old Chuy is murdered in the restroom of a Fresno dance club when he compliments a guy on his shoes. Over the next few days, Chuy floats around Fresno as a ghost, playing ghostly tricks, mourning his lost life, saying goodbye to his friends and family, and falling in love with a ghost girl who committed suicide.

Critical Analysis (Including Cultural Markers)

The Afterlife presents a detailed picture of the Mexican-American community in Fresno, California as seen through the eyes of a young man homesick for the life he has lost. The people, culture, and surroundings are described with affection through the generous use of Spanish words. The general meanings of the Spanish words are easily understood through the context of the story. A glossary is included which provides the definitions needed to understand the finer nuances of the words.

Chuy is a likeable character, a typical teen with whom readers can easily identify. The story starts off strong, but quickly fizzles and becomes a meandering memorial. None of the plot lines are satisfactorily resolved. The identity, motive, and fate of Chuy’s murderer remain a mystery. Chuy’s discovery of love at first sight in his afterlife comes across as shallow, as shallow as his love interest’s motives for committing suicide. Despite the intriguing premise and authentic cultural details, the story is disappointing.

Review Excerpts

Booklist: “Soto has remade Our Town into Fresno, California, and he not only paints the scenery brilliantly but also captures the pain that follows an early death. In many ways, this is as much a story about a hardscrabble place as it is about a boy who is murdered.”

School Library Journal: “Soto's simple and poetic language, leavened with Mexican Spanish with such care to context that the appended glossary is scarcely needed, is clear, but Chuy's ultimate destiny isn't.”

Connections

More books for teens by Gary Soto:

Soto, Gary. 2007. Mercy on these teenage chimps. Orlando: Harcourt. ISBN 9780152060220

Soto, Gary. 2006. Accidental love. Orlando: Harcourt. ISBN 9780152054977

Soto, Gary. 2006. Jesse. Orlando: Harcourt. ISBN 9780152054250

Soto, Gary. 1997. Buried onions. San Diego: Harcourt Brace. ISBN 0152060227