The Afterlife

Gary Soto is primarily a poet, and—appropriately enough—this brief novel features many wonderful images rendered in evocative poetic language. What this novel does not feature, however, are most of the elements that constitute a conventional novel—conflict, a plot, and character development.As I read this collection of vignettes loosely organized around the post-death experiences of Chuy (the main character who wanders Fresno after being murdered in the restroom of a club for no apparent reason), I kept waiting for some structure to emerge. A conflict. A plot. Something to give this meandering tale some direction. But to no avail. There’s a hint that his family might seek revenge for his murder, an encounter with another ghost, Crystal, that evolves into a ghoulish romance, and another ultimately fruitless encounter with a homeless man who also dies and becomes a ghost. But beyond that, nothing approaching a plot.Perhaps Soto crafted an aimless story in order to demonstrate that life itself is random and ephemeral—a rather nihilistic tone to adopt for a novel intended for young readers. If that was indeed his point, he probably should have just written a poem about it instead.

Bought a long time ago and never got to review it but I love this book (I don’t like reading btw), I read it in my 8th grade class and had to buy it. I recommend this 1,000%.

I liked everything about this book. It was very good. Gary Soto is an amazing author! I would most likely recommend this book to teenagers. This book really taught me about family and friendship. I mean, Chuy may not have been a big deal in school but to me it seemed like he was definitely full of life ! He loved all of his friends and had lots of memories from life and I think that is something that everybody should have. If you are looking for a great book to enjoy I would definitely recommend this!

I love this story...It talks about a boy who was stabbed and died in a nightclub and how his experience with "the afterlife" affected him...I don't know if some of the facts in this book are real but I was almost killed one night and experience some of the events that happened in this book...I love it! Great author also...love the way he expresses himself and the specific details...makes you feel like you're actually there!!! I definitely recommend this book from ages 14+...Great book...better in hardcover!

Educational read

Gary Soto is a master at writing for young people. High recommend.

This book was heartfelt story and I really love it. From sadness to comedy this book reminds me of my friends caring for each other.

I bought these books to help out a class in need. The students enjoyed the story and the lessons taught in the story. It's a book about compassion and a lesson about how short life can be, this the importance to be productive and loving.