Antonia, the protagonist in Afterlife by Julia Alvarez, is a writer in her sixties, recently widowed and retired from teaching at a university, trying to define her place after so much change. The “afterlife” of her husband is her collection of memories of him that still permeate daily life as if he was still there with her. The protagonist also is one of four sisters from the Dominican Republic and this sisterhood, too, defines who she is and provides a context for the main plot. One of the sisters, Izzy, appears to be going nuts and then disappears. The sisters come together to hunt for Izzy. Their interactions summon memories in Antonia’s mind of the history of her relationship with each sister and with their deceased parents – more afterlives. The secondary plot involves a pregnant illegal immigrant Antonia has befriended and the uncertainty of what will happy to her and her baby. Neither plot is predictable. The book ends at a Zen seminar where, as a instructional exercise, a plate is shattered and then glued back together, a fitting metaphor for Antonia’s struggle. Here’s what Kirkus Reviews says
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/julia-alvarez/afterlife-alvarez/
