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The After Life
When Will Shephard's estranged millionaire father dies, a bizarre clause in the will sends him on a drug- and alcohol-fueled road trip from Miami to New York with his twin half-siblings. Original.
272 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2006
5 people are currently reading
314 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Ehrenhaft
19 books58 followersDaniel Ehrenhaft is the author of several dozen books for children and young adults—so many books, in fact, that he has lost count. He has often written under the pseudonym Daniel Parker (his middle name, which is easier to spell and pronounce than his last), and occasionally Erin Haft. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife Jessica, as well as a scruffy dog named Gibby and a psychotic cat named Bootsy. When he isn't writing, he tirelessly travels the globe on a doomed mission to achieve rock stardom. As of this date, his musical credits include the composition of bluegrass soundtrack numbers for the epic straight-to-video B movie The Grave, a brief stint playing live rap music to baffled Filipino audiences in Hong Kong, and scoring the still-picture montage Election Trip. He once worked in a cheese shop. He was fired.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 13, 2016
Wow. That was quite an odd, enjoyable, and slightly disturbing read. I'm not even completely sure how to go about describing this strange little book, but I know that I found it highly entertaining.
To me, the characters are really what carried the story. The plot itself was actually kind of thin and generic (long-lost family, random, urgent road trip, etc.), but the three MCs and the supporting characters really brought it to life. Take Forrest (Liz, Kyle, and Will's father), for example: he dies on page 75, less than halfway through the book, but his character is so strong and vivid he casts a spell over the reminder of the story. Same with Uncle Pete: even though he is deceased at the outset of the book, he becomes a vibrant character through Will's memories, and provides a plethora of comic relief. Not that comedy is far and few between here- despite the serious subject matter (drugs, suicide, sex, etc.), this book comes off as completely light-hearted, but it never seems to be trivializing these issues. It sets an interesting but comfortable tone for the book.
I've seen some reviews complaining about every character in the book being unlikable, and while I understand that point of view, I saw most of the characters display redeeming qualities. I found it to be quite realistic as well: everyone has shitty things about them, and some just surface more than others. And there is a balance between each character's morale: Kyle, for instance, is rash and mean and selfish, but extremely smart, driven, successful and protective of his family. Liz is sweet, friendly, and means well, but she is also extremely ditzy, self-absorbed, and naive. Will is a total loser: drop-out, alcoholic, drug addict, but in actuality he is incredibly depressed and vulnerable, and has a very tender heart.
The dialogue was also spot-on for the age group Ehrenhaft was shooting for. Their conversations sounded very similar to ones I had with my friends as a teenager. For instance- after Liz demands that they each share a secret and get all their feelings out in the open, Kyle responds: "I'd rather just listen to the radio, actually."
Overall, a fun and strange read. Not for the faint of heart. Definitely a good addition to the YA road trip category.
To me, the characters are really what carried the story. The plot itself was actually kind of thin and generic (long-lost family, random, urgent road trip, etc.), but the three MCs and the supporting characters really brought it to life. Take Forrest (Liz, Kyle, and Will's father), for example: he dies on page 75, less than halfway through the book, but his character is so strong and vivid he casts a spell over the reminder of the story. Same with Uncle Pete: even though he is deceased at the outset of the book, he becomes a vibrant character through Will's memories, and provides a plethora of comic relief. Not that comedy is far and few between here- despite the serious subject matter (drugs, suicide, sex, etc.), this book comes off as completely light-hearted, but it never seems to be trivializing these issues. It sets an interesting but comfortable tone for the book.
I've seen some reviews complaining about every character in the book being unlikable, and while I understand that point of view, I saw most of the characters display redeeming qualities. I found it to be quite realistic as well: everyone has shitty things about them, and some just surface more than others. And there is a balance between each character's morale: Kyle, for instance, is rash and mean and selfish, but extremely smart, driven, successful and protective of his family. Liz is sweet, friendly, and means well, but she is also extremely ditzy, self-absorbed, and naive. Will is a total loser: drop-out, alcoholic, drug addict, but in actuality he is incredibly depressed and vulnerable, and has a very tender heart.
The dialogue was also spot-on for the age group Ehrenhaft was shooting for. Their conversations sounded very similar to ones I had with my friends as a teenager. For instance- after Liz demands that they each share a secret and get all their feelings out in the open, Kyle responds: "I'd rather just listen to the radio, actually."
Overall, a fun and strange read. Not for the faint of heart. Definitely a good addition to the YA road trip category.
December 15, 2009
This book is odd, but not as off-the-wall strange as many of the books I've read recently. It's basically the tale of an underage alcoholic--Will--trying to reconnect with his estranged father after the man's untimely death. This also means connecting with his half-siblings--Liz and Kyle--who want to help and get rid of Will (respectively). Together, they set out on an epic journey to get back to New York and work out what, exactly, could come of the trip in the first place.
This book may make you laugh. It may creep you out. But if you read it through to the end, then I promise you'll enjoy it.
This book may make you laugh. It may creep you out. But if you read it through to the end, then I promise you'll enjoy it.
December 28, 2008
A different spin on a coming of age story for a prep school kid who's drug infused, hippy father dies and in doing so, throws the guy together with his step sister and brother on a cross country trip from hell.
Funny, crass, and touching all at once.
Funny, crass, and touching all at once.
July 14, 2018
now reading the summary, it does not sound interesting to me
November 25, 2021
I have been searching for this book for longer than I’d care to admit, but you bet your ass I’m going to buy and reread it finally!
June 10, 2015
The cover of the book is the the "first impression" that I had of this book, so I was "wary" of the book. I judge that I am not a "painted-toenails-on-the-dashboard" type. However, I saw a picture of the author, and he looks intriguing, read his biography, and his life sounds intriguing, so I didn't write the book off. I decided to give it a chance.
The story was not what I expected. The story was hard for me to relate to because the characters were not me. Kyle, Liz & Will are "good looking" though Kyle is good-looking in a "pretty boy" way and Will is "good looking" in a different "emotional, sensitive, cute guy" way. I can't say that I fit into any of those categories. Liz looks like Gwyneth Paltrow. They are all pretty people.
They are all "rich" people.
The redeeming quality of this book is that my life is basically normal, for lack of a better term.
People could call me boring ... because basically, I am.
The characters in this book are definitely going through some stuff. They lose their dad, even though
they never really KNEW their dad until after he died.
They found themselves by the end of the book ... they grew up.
I don't feel judgmental about the fact that the main protagonist, Will, spends the VAST majority of this story either drunk or high. It is part of who he is, and by the end of the story, you understand WHY he spends his entire life trying to kill the pain in his life. Like I said, I don't feel judgmental, just because he is different than me, just because he hides from his problems in a different way than I choose to.
His method of hiding is much different than mine. I would say that I lack courage to live my life like he does, but there is a part of me that knows that NOT trying to escape into an alcohol or drug-induced haze is more courageous in a way than allowing oneself to teeter over the edge.
Kyle is a mixed up dude; Liz is a mixed up girl. Their father was a mixed up man.
Again, I can't judge them as bad people; they handle their problems differently than I do.
The author doesn't make any negative judgments or comments about religion, but the characters in the story don't have a "relationship" with GOD in any way, so there is a hopelessness to their existence than I wish they didn't have to have.
They have unlimited money. I am not quite sure what Kyle's dad did for a living, but he is leaving the kids a boatload of money after his death, so their lack of ability to cope with reality will be aided by a big money cushion to use for problems.
Robby & the "fight club" type place is kind of a confusing aspect of the book, except that it gives Liz the opportunity to "free" herself from the stipulations that the world placed and places upon her.
She gets to see at that point that Will cares about her.
I can't relate to the kids because I was never in that spot, never in that position. In the same way, I can relate to the kids because they are kids. They have no clue where they are going next, and I think every person in the history of the world has that problem sometimes.
In terms of writing, the characters were somewhat complex. The fact that Kyle & Liz & Will for that matter were "good looking" might drop them toward somewhat stereotypical. The fact that they were "rich" might drop them toward somewhat stereotypical.
They aren't characters that I care to read a second novel about.
I look for redeeming qualities in the books I read because books are a place you give your time, have a brief relationship with. I don't feel cheated by the book. I don't feel particularly inspired by the book.
I don't feel moved positively or negatively, and I think I want a book to hook me, reach out to me, and give me something in return. The feeling I get is melancholy.
The story was not what I expected. The story was hard for me to relate to because the characters were not me. Kyle, Liz & Will are "good looking" though Kyle is good-looking in a "pretty boy" way and Will is "good looking" in a different "emotional, sensitive, cute guy" way. I can't say that I fit into any of those categories. Liz looks like Gwyneth Paltrow. They are all pretty people.
They are all "rich" people.
The redeeming quality of this book is that my life is basically normal, for lack of a better term.
People could call me boring ... because basically, I am.
The characters in this book are definitely going through some stuff. They lose their dad, even though
they never really KNEW their dad until after he died.
They found themselves by the end of the book ... they grew up.
I don't feel judgmental about the fact that the main protagonist, Will, spends the VAST majority of this story either drunk or high. It is part of who he is, and by the end of the story, you understand WHY he spends his entire life trying to kill the pain in his life. Like I said, I don't feel judgmental, just because he is different than me, just because he hides from his problems in a different way than I choose to.
His method of hiding is much different than mine. I would say that I lack courage to live my life like he does, but there is a part of me that knows that NOT trying to escape into an alcohol or drug-induced haze is more courageous in a way than allowing oneself to teeter over the edge.
Kyle is a mixed up dude; Liz is a mixed up girl. Their father was a mixed up man.
Again, I can't judge them as bad people; they handle their problems differently than I do.
The author doesn't make any negative judgments or comments about religion, but the characters in the story don't have a "relationship" with GOD in any way, so there is a hopelessness to their existence than I wish they didn't have to have.
They have unlimited money. I am not quite sure what Kyle's dad did for a living, but he is leaving the kids a boatload of money after his death, so their lack of ability to cope with reality will be aided by a big money cushion to use for problems.
Robby & the "fight club" type place is kind of a confusing aspect of the book, except that it gives Liz the opportunity to "free" herself from the stipulations that the world placed and places upon her.
She gets to see at that point that Will cares about her.
I can't relate to the kids because I was never in that spot, never in that position. In the same way, I can relate to the kids because they are kids. They have no clue where they are going next, and I think every person in the history of the world has that problem sometimes.
In terms of writing, the characters were somewhat complex. The fact that Kyle & Liz & Will for that matter were "good looking" might drop them toward somewhat stereotypical. The fact that they were "rich" might drop them toward somewhat stereotypical.
They aren't characters that I care to read a second novel about.
I look for redeeming qualities in the books I read because books are a place you give your time, have a brief relationship with. I don't feel cheated by the book. I don't feel particularly inspired by the book.
I don't feel moved positively or negatively, and I think I want a book to hook me, reach out to me, and give me something in return. The feeling I get is melancholy.
April 16, 2012
~3/5
This book... This book was just, so... I was hoping for something different from this book, and what I got was not what I wanted or hoped for, in a bad way.
It's about three people: Will, Liz, and Kyle Shepherd, who are separated siblings, and who meet just before their father dies, and then go on a small road trip home from the funeral, somewhat at the request from their fathers will.
I did not like Will very much. He's nineteen, and yet is a bit of a drunk; is a drunk, which I did not like. And he was rather crude in the way that he spoke. He's just not someone that I would hang out with, given the choice. I didn't really like Kyle, either. He was too selfish, conceited, thinking that he deserved some respect and to be 'the Man' even though he really didn't deserve it. Liz, either, for that matter. I didn't mind her at first, and I probably liked her most, but I still wasn't a big fan. I don't think I would hang out with any of them, actually, given the choice.
There was a bit of the book where Liz and Will feel attracted to each other, and try to ignore it because they are siblings, which also bothered me. They're only half-related, and I've read some other things like this that didn't bother me as much, but I just didn't like it in this book. Plus, at the end, where there's given an excuse to this problem, just seemed a little too much like a cop-out. I guess it should make it better, and in a way it does, but it still bothered me.
I was hoping for better characters; characters that I would get along with and feel more connected to. But instead I just found that I didn't really connect with any of them. A big part of that might be the alcohol and drugs thing. I just don't really like alcohol or drugs. It's not that I overall disapprove of it and think that people shouldn't do them and don't want to believe that people do them. I just don't like how people try to use them to hide from other things, or are generally dumb when they decide to do them. And Will was always drinking to make himself feel better, despite the fact that he would have a terrible hangover when he woke up, and I don't see the appeal in that. And there was some other drug use within the book, which didn't make any of it better.
I just don't like it, okay? And I wasn't expecting it, and hope that it hadn't been in there. I think I wanted this book to be different, and was expecting it to be different, and was a bit disappointed when I found out that it wasn't what I thought it would be. The ending brought the rating up just a little bit, but it didn't help too much.
Anyway, despite not really enjoying this book, I have read some other books by Ehrenhaft that I did enjoy, and so am still planning on reading another of his books, and hope that I enjoy it more than this one.
[Taken from my blog: http://geekyreading.blogspot.com/2012... ]
This book... This book was just, so... I was hoping for something different from this book, and what I got was not what I wanted or hoped for, in a bad way.
It's about three people: Will, Liz, and Kyle Shepherd, who are separated siblings, and who meet just before their father dies, and then go on a small road trip home from the funeral, somewhat at the request from their fathers will.
I did not like Will very much. He's nineteen, and yet is a bit of a drunk; is a drunk, which I did not like. And he was rather crude in the way that he spoke. He's just not someone that I would hang out with, given the choice. I didn't really like Kyle, either. He was too selfish, conceited, thinking that he deserved some respect and to be 'the Man' even though he really didn't deserve it. Liz, either, for that matter. I didn't mind her at first, and I probably liked her most, but I still wasn't a big fan. I don't think I would hang out with any of them, actually, given the choice.
There was a bit of the book where Liz and Will feel attracted to each other, and try to ignore it because they are siblings, which also bothered me. They're only half-related, and I've read some other things like this that didn't bother me as much, but I just didn't like it in this book. Plus, at the end, where there's given an excuse to this problem, just seemed a little too much like a cop-out. I guess it should make it better, and in a way it does, but it still bothered me.
I was hoping for better characters; characters that I would get along with and feel more connected to. But instead I just found that I didn't really connect with any of them. A big part of that might be the alcohol and drugs thing. I just don't really like alcohol or drugs. It's not that I overall disapprove of it and think that people shouldn't do them and don't want to believe that people do them. I just don't like how people try to use them to hide from other things, or are generally dumb when they decide to do them. And Will was always drinking to make himself feel better, despite the fact that he would have a terrible hangover when he woke up, and I don't see the appeal in that. And there was some other drug use within the book, which didn't make any of it better.
I just don't like it, okay? And I wasn't expecting it, and hope that it hadn't been in there. I think I wanted this book to be different, and was expecting it to be different, and was a bit disappointed when I found out that it wasn't what I thought it would be. The ending brought the rating up just a little bit, but it didn't help too much.
Anyway, despite not really enjoying this book, I have read some other books by Ehrenhaft that I did enjoy, and so am still planning on reading another of his books, and hope that I enjoy it more than this one.
[Taken from my blog: http://geekyreading.blogspot.com/2012... ]
August 6, 2014
I love road trip books and so I really expected to enjoy this one. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me. Ironically, I enjoyed what happened beforehand more than the trip itself.
Will and his estranged half siblings, twins Liz and Kyle, drive from Florida to New York following their father's funeral in an 1988 Orange Volvo. They have 48 hours to complete the trip in order for Will to recieve his inheritance. The journey is wrought with tension, espcially between the two boys, a few creepy moments between Will and his half-sister and an odd stop along the way.
Will and his estranged half siblings, twins Liz and Kyle, drive from Florida to New York following their father's funeral in an 1988 Orange Volvo. They have 48 hours to complete the trip in order for Will to recieve his inheritance. The journey is wrought with tension, espcially between the two boys, a few creepy moments between Will and his half-sister and an odd stop along the way.
May 17, 2012
I have never read a story in my life where every single character, protagonists and minor characters didn't have one redeeming or endearing quality about them until now. Sure, characters need flaws, but a quiver full? However, that said, the story was good, but the ending a little flat. I will check out one more story by this author before I totally give up on him, and likely two. A bit rambling into the literary which I don't care for, but I do like books that take us around the country.
January 18, 2008
Dysfunctional doesn’t even begin to describe the Shepherd family. Will is a 19 year old raging alcoholic who is in love with his halfsister. Will’s father has been absent his entire life. When his father dies, he speaks from the grave, and commands that Will accompany his half siblings on a bizarre road trip that involves a beloved 1988
orange Volvo.
orange Volvo.
orange Volvo.
orange Volvo.
October 7, 2009
Really, really liked this book at the beginning - kind of Rob Thomas meets Gossip Girl, really entertaining - but then I feel like it got kind of strange. And I like strange usually, it just, I don't know, didn't work for me. But I'd still be interested in reading more of Ehrenhaft.
July 18, 2012
I originally picked up the book because I liked the premise, but the actual plot was rather wacky and out there. Three stars because I really enjoyed Ehrenhaft's writing and character development. Everything else was "ehh".
July 21, 2012
Dull. Kid's rich dad dies, he hangs out with half-siblings for a while, is typical obnoxious YA boy (as boyfriends, many of them are amazing, but somehow whenever they are the star of a book themselves, at least after 1980, they suck).
July 24, 2011
it was a fun read. a little bizzare, but gstill good. i liked it.
March 29, 2012
It is a great book to be recommended.
EL RHAZI Otmane.
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EL RHAZI Otmane.
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December 18, 2015
This book was really meh. The plot was ok but I really disliked all of the characters. This was definately not one of my favourite YA contemporaries.
August 3, 2016
I enjoyed everything except for the part where things got vaguely incesty and I can't look past that at all.
October 12, 2008
Sooooo good very nice plot and intriuging.
March 15, 2012
Not sure why I even finished this book. Not very enjoyable and really not realistic. Boring.
Want to read
October 5, 2018CC3300
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