After Life

by Rhian Ellis

Book Overview

Naomi Ash was born in New Orleans and raised by her mother, Patsy, a medium who schooled her young daughter in the parlor-trick chicanery of the trade. From Naomi recreating presences with table... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0141001534
• ISBN13: 9780141001531
• Release Date: August 2001
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 292 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

When will Ms. Ellis write another delightful book?

A writer of this caliber should certainly be celebrated. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and wholeheartedly agree with the great reviews it's received. So much nonsense is made of someone's "first novel" as if a writer is a toddler just learning how to walk when they manage to get a book in print. This book is as carefully crafted and well-written as many experienced authors could hope to write. People will compare Ellis with Stephen King because of her subject matter here-which will cull "litrary" types before they even pick it up, of course. Many people overlook the fact that King at his best is masterful at story tension and portraying American life, and I think Ellis shares similar gifts.Ellis' great strength lies in her ability to write naturally about strange situations and people...and her plot is unique and riveting as well. Her descriptions of emotions are spot-on, and the sensual descriptions in the book are clear and wonderfully perceptive--they never failed to amaze me. One reviewer commented here that they were disappointed that the murder in the book occurred in such a mundane way. I think every now and then those of us who've read a lot of books and seen a lot of movies are extraordinarily delighted when we stumble on an artist who bucks the system and has the courage to write about something like a murder without applying all sorts of cultural cliches to it. As the main character comments at one point, "The worst thing in the world can happen, but the next day the sun will come up. And you will eat your toast. And you will drink your tea." The real story in this novel is not the murder--it's what happens to Naomi as she tries to keep such a huge secret in a colony of psychics (one of whom is her own mother!) at a time in her life when she's struggling with her own independence and self-worth.This novel is not a typical "murder mystery" or horror novel or a book about psychics...it's a true original. Ellis is a skilled author and I'm really looking forward to reading more of her invigorating work.

Simply superb

Train Line, New York is a town divided into two co-existing groups. The long-term residents descend from generations of mediums and spiritualists. The more recent arrivals are New Age enthusiasts. Naomi Ash is sort of an in-betweener. Her mother, medium Madame Galina Ash fled New Orleans about two decades ago to the delight of the local police force. She resettles in Train Line amidst a community of her peers. Naomi knows the business of the awakening the dead from first hand experience with her mother.Naomi is worried that the local police will soon resurrect a certain dead person. Ten years ago, Naomi murdered and buried her boy friend, Peter Morton. His remains have just been uncovered and without the need of a crystal ball, all evidence points towards Naomi.AFTER LIFE is a superb psychological thriller that deftly alternates between the present and what occurred ten years ago. Naomi is a brilliant character whose thoughts hook the reader into deep philosophical thinking as to what are really life and death. The support cast, including the dead Peter, provides layers of background that adds understanding of Naomi. Using poetic imagery, Rhian Ellis debuts with a great tale that indicates she will enjoy a successful life as an author long after readers devour this book. Harriet Klausner

Loved This Book!

As a long-time avid reader, I have read many books but this is the first time I have felt compelled to comment. Ms. Ellis' book is totally captivating. Her main character, Naomi Ash, is so likeable that even though you know from the beginning "whodunit" you keep hoping that the "why" she did it will still enable her to live happily ever after. But as with real life, there isn't always a happily-ever-after for everyone...not during life; maybe not After Life. Ms. Ellis created a setting so picturesque that it made me want to find "Trainline", NY. Surprisingly, I found she did not draw the town from imagination, but from memory. It exists, still, in 2000 and is as amazing as she describes. The town in the novel and the town in Western NY are both places that once visited will never be forgotten.

You must get this book

I hardly know what to say. The story is so captivating that I was staying up late, flipping through the pages, but Ellis' storytelling is so beautiful and restrained that it never pushes too hard to thrill us. Absolutely surefooted writing. An astounding accomplishment--surely she must be older than she seems in her author's photo.

Best of the summer

Ellis' book transcends categories. Yes it has a setting in world of spiritualism, but it is also set in a villiage of spiritualists with their communal institutions (odd to compare Shaker villiage w/spiritualism, but that's the closest I can get). It has "psychological" elements, but the scope looks at what it means to be human from a unique perspective, one that I've not encountered in any other book. Control of language, tone, voice is wonderful. This is fresh, intriguing, effective, my candidate for the best read of the summer regardless of genre.