When Daniel’s brother Eli is killed at war, Daniel considers the history of unusual fatalities to determine what makes a death — or a life — matter.
Some people die heroically, others accidentally. When Daniel Anderson’s older brother dies, he wonders which category Eli’s death falls into. In an attempt to understand, Danny creates a Book of the Dead — an old binder that he fills with details about dead people, how they died, and, most important, for what purpose. Time passes, and eventually Daniel is prompted to look up from his notebook of death and questions to make new friends and be swept into their imaginings. With gentle humor and genuine emotion, Rebecca Rupp examines the questions that arise following a profound loss and the moments that start life rolling again.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
Loved the concept
By M. Rodriguez
3.5-4.0 stars9/11 happened and Eli wanted to help at ground zero but Eli's dad said no. Feeling that he had to do something to help he enlisted in the army instead. About a year or so after he dies in Iraq while on duty. Eli's death has left Danny alone, his dad even less sociable and mom has checked out. While coping with the death of his brother, Danny begins the "Book of the Dead" a book where he records famous people and the cause of their deaths.I think the most interesting part of this book was the "Book of the Dead" and how the author used it to tie it back to certain events in Danny's life and/or to show his thought process on the topic of death. This definitely made After Eli a very unique story.I liked the story well enough. I thought it was written well. I liked the characters especially the twins who were a hoot! I especially liked that you could noticeably see the growth within these characters. The flow of the story was right on point and the ending was just right. Yet something didn't sit well with me.I've read a few contemporaries as of late and they were heart wrenching and I guess I was expecting this book to be that way. It's not. There are some moments and I did cry during those moments but it was hard for me to connect in that way the entire time.Another thing, I felt like I was reading the wrong era. The book reads like the TV show the Wonder Years. This is not a negative, people. I loved Wonder Years. My thing was that this is supposed to be the present, you know 2012. Although there were parts that felt like 2012, there were other parts that felt like the 1960's.I don't know. It could just be the emotional overload I've felt reading other types of books in the last few months. Also, it could just be a figment of my imagination about the era switch up I felt often in this book...figment or lack of sleep. Or it could just be that this book is just a different type of grief and it doesn't always have to be over the top and the town is rural and could possibly still feel like the 1960's even if it is 2012.Bottom line: I still recommend this read to everyone because it was an overall enjoyable read. After reading it let me know your thoughts on it.ARC was provided by Candlewick via NetGalley.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.A Delightful Read!
By Dominique Jordan
"After Eli" is a fun, humorous, and enlightening novel not just for young readers but readers of all ages. Daniel Anderson's tumultuous journey of acceptance and emotional rejuvenation after the death of his older brother Eli in Iraq is a story that will make even the most rigid reader tearful. Rupp's honest portrayal of a teenage boy dealing with the cruelty of his emotionally unavailable father and his equally distant mother will touch your heart. Filled with colorful and captivating characters and situations, "After Eli" is sure to be a modern classic.WHAT'S IT ABOUT?"After Eli" is the first-person account of a fourteen year-old high school freshman whose life and family crumbles after the death of his older brother Eli when Daniel was younger. Taking place during the summer after his first year of high school, Daniel divulges his experiences with vivid detail and worldly knowledge. Along the way he makes a new friend named Walter- a young man who is an outcast at school and has the intellectual capacity of Albert Einstein and the philosophical nature of Plato, whom he greatly admires. Daniel also comes across two eccentric, curious, and sometimes annoying twins named Jasper and Journey who are the siblings of Isabelle- a doe-eyed beauty from New York City who not only brings an urban finesse into Daniel's small-town world, but steals his heart as well. With his Book of the Dead and his new friends to guide him, Daniel embarks on an adventure that will change his outlook on life and death forever.WHO IS IT FOR?This book is for any teen who has endured the loss of a beloved family member or friend. Daniel's exploration for acceptance is a story that any teen can find relatable. The primary themes of the novel are acceptance, dealing with insecurities, volatile family relationships, coming to terms with the inevitable nature of death and, of course, discovering summer love. To those of you who aren't fans of profanity in novels, this book isn't for you. It has its share of a few choice words here and there, but this is only to bring to life the gripping, harsh reality that young Daniel faces. The characters in Rupp's novel are real people with real sensibilities, and so they express their feelings and thoughts in ways that are replicated in everyday life.WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THIS?I would definitely recommend this book. It is a great summer and back-to-school read that will catapult any avid young reader into Daniel's world.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Well-turned YA novel with good psychological underpinning
By Mallory Anne-Marie Forbes Haws
"After Eli" is a sort of coming-of-age novel, but it's about the kind of maturation that can come at any point in life. Young Danny loses his much older brother Eli to the Middle East Wars; then his mother withdraws almost completely and his father can find nothing to say to Danny that is not complaints and predictions of failure. He finds "first love," then loses it after watching the girl he loves lose hers; and he first betrays his new best friend, then grows up to realize that shallow friendship, no matter of how long duration, isn't for the mature. This is a novel with a lot of grieving woven throughout, but it is also a novel filled with joy, love, friendship, and the blessings of hope. I hope this story finds a wide audience, both among YA's and among older readers as well.I reviewed an e-book copy of this book provided by Great Minds Think Aloud in return for my fair and impartial review.
