Afterworlds

Praise to Westerfeld for imagining a fresh approach to young adult fiction that doesn’t recreate the dystopian social drama which has so popularised this genre of late. With this novel, he cleverly juxtaposes the stories of Lizzie and Darcy who live in alternate, yet intrinsically-linked, realities: Darcy is an emerging young adult writer who’s just signed a two-book publishing deal; Lizzie is the protagonist of the former’s debut novel, ‘Afterworlds’.

In the explosive opening chapter we first meet Lizzie who is in the midst of a random terrorist attack at a US airport. As the sole survivor, Lizzie’s primal instinct to play dead not only saves her from the terrorists’ guns, but also opens a doorway to the afterworld – a place where ghosts linger for as long as they are remembered. Here, Lizzie meets the Lord of Death, a community of lost souls and the darker threats that lurk there. She also gains unfettered access between the worlds of the living and the dead. Over time she comes to learn the relevance of her new powers.

Then to Darcy… The young author’s newly signed book gives her entry to the New York publishing scene as one of its newest star recruits. It seems she has arrived in literary heaven and she becomes immersed in the frenzied, highly competitive publishing market. Survival as a writer is tough in a world where high sales and being supported by other young adult authors is the difference between anonymity and memorialisation.

These two narratives merge together effortlessly, mutually supporting one another. Though, I can’t help feeling a preference for Darcy’s story given the allure of publishing life. After finishing the last page, I’m left marvelling at the existential questions raised by this work, and at the power of memory and perception to give meaning to our world.

Natalie Platten