The Afterlife

Chuy is preening in a dance club restroom on a Friday night when an offhand remark leads to his death by stabbing. As his spirit leaves his body, he quickly learns to maneuver within this altered state. He spends three days between "now" and "the afterlife," tying up loose ends. Latino teen culture rings true in Robert Ramirez's narration of this thought-provoking story. His accent adds realism, and the context is rich enough to convey the meaning of the Spanish slang. Listeners who aren't too quick with the stop button at the end will also hear a glossary explaining most of the slang used in the story. N.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

August 25, 2003
Returning to the Mexican-American community which he has made a career of chronicling, Soto (Baseball in April) pens a sort of Lovely Bones for the young adult set: 17-year-old narrator Chuy is murdered on page two, for no good reason, in the restroom of a nightclub. Chuy's ghost roams his native Fresno, visiting Angel ("mi carnal, the guy I hung with") his would-be novia (girlfriend), his family, his school friends. In several compelling sequences, he comes face-to-face with his killer, and is shocked to see that the boy is completely without remorse. There is mention of revenge (Chuy's mother gives his cousin a gun), but Soto keeps that subplot brief, favoring instead a more thoughtful painting of what Chuy's departure means to those around him. Chuy also meets the ghost of a girl who has just committed suicide, and the two spirits begin to fall in love. In addition to this romance, Soto concocts an ingenious way of introducing tension to the story: Chuy's astral body is disappearing bit by bit, and as the tale ends, so too does the audience's knowledge of Chuy's ultimate destiny. While the premise could sound dark and morose, the novel is instead filled with hope and elegance. The author counterbalances difficult ideas with moments of genuine tenderness as well as a provocative lesson about the importance of savoring every moment—a lesson that Chuy, once fretful and insecure, comes to understand. Ages 12-up.