The Everafter »

Amy Huntley says that a colleague's musings were the spark that inspired The Everafter: "I've always had a tendency to attach myself to the objects of my life, so when one of my friends said something like, 'Wouldn't it be funny if all those things you lost turned up after you were dead, just when you didn't need them anymore?' it got me thinking. But I wanted to believe there would be a purpose to their reappearance. As the story evolved, I realized that Madison's quest to make peace with moving on to the Everafter is really the same battle that everyone goes through as they grow and become someone new."

Amy lives with her daughter in Michigan, where she is a teacher of high school English.

Madison Stanton doesn't know where she is or how she got there. But she does know this—she is dead. And alone, in a vast, dark space. The only company she has in this place are luminescent objects that turn out to be all the things Maddy lost while she was alive. And soon she discovers that with these artifacts, she can reexperience—and sometimes even change—moments from her life.

Her first kiss.

A trip to Disney World.

Her sister's wedding.

A disastrous sleepover.

In reliving these moments, Maddy learns illuminating and sometimes frightening truths about her life—and death.

Publishers Weekly

The story of Madison Stanton, dead of unknown causes at age 17, showcases debut author Huntley's skill at writing believable scenes of high school life. Floating in an oblivion she refers to as “is,” Madison bounces from scene to scene in her life, trying to understand how she died and figure out what “the Universe wants me to understand.” She is hampered by the fact that it is only through touching various objects she finds floating with her (her boyfriend's sweatshirt, a baby rattle, a hair clip) that she can connect with her past. The objects are items she lost in life, and she discovers that other spirits are also using the same means to revisit their lives. The premise feels somewhat contrived, and there's a random snapshot quality to the narrative as Madison gets sucked into and wrenched away from moments in her life, which can grow tedious. Nevertheless, Madison is an engaging protagonist, and the author builds a strong sense of tension; much of her story works well as slice-of-life realism. Huntley is an author worth watching. Ages 12–up. (Oct.)