Rhian Ellis's "After Life" is the first novel I've read from Nancy Pearl's "Rediscoveries" series, a collection of previously out-of-print books Librarian of the Gods and NPR Morning Edition regular Pearl identified as unread and/or under praised gems of the 20th century. Hand-picked by Pearl, these novels have been republished and given a second chance (helped along with a heavy dose of publicity and buzz by Pearl herself).
I trust Nancy Pearl. She has an infectious passion for books and while I don't always agree with her opinions on certain books and authors (don't get me started on John Irving or Ann Patchett) I trust anyone who dedicates their life to books. Not just writing, but books, and getting people excited about reading.
"After Life" is full of mediums, spiritualists, and New Age tarot-reading psychics. Not usually something I'd go in for, but Ellis's novel is surprisingly down-to-earth and relatable. She presents spiritualism in a solid, respectful, meticulously well-researched way that gives the reader a better understanding of its history and evolution.
Ellis's novel is also a novel of a dysfunctional mother/daughter relationship novel. Except where other novelists paint their characters as grotesquely unhealthy and abusive, Ellis's women are realistic and live in the real world, specifically the world in which mothers and daughters destroy and rebuild each other with everyday slights and gestures. It's subtle, something sadly lacking in most books that exploit the modern domestic relationship trope.
And then there's murder. It's not a whodunit, you know the who from the first page. But it asks the much more interesting and relevant question: why. This question ("why") kept me reading and I was not disappointed.
My only complaint is pacing, something I've become all but obsessed with lately. It drags in parts and moves far too quickly in others. However, this is mainly an issue of editing and I would have liked to see what could have been done with this novel under the hand of an expert editor.
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