After Life

High school senior Amber Crane bikes home from school one spring day per usual—only to learn that she’s been dead for seven years. Stranger still, though Amber’s family can see, hear, and touch her, they aren’t as she remembers them. Complicated emotions temper joy as Amber struggles to confront past mistakes, “become a better person” than she was in life, and understand the ripple effects of her death, such as her mother’s loss of faith, her parents’ separation, her sister Melissa’s coming out as gay, and a beloved aunt’s estrangement from the family. Brief, deliberately paced chapters depict Amber’s efforts to make amends and make sense of her situation. Glimpses into the lives that her death changed—for better or worse—are interspersed throughout, including her “Meat Puppet” boyfriend, an aspiring photographer, and a lonely English teacher. Riveting plotting by Forman (Not Nothing) culminates in a bittersweet speculative tour de force that probes what it means to live, to lose, and to love. Amber is white; supporting characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 14–up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary. (Jan.)