16 Apr / Afterlife by Julia Alvarez [in Booklist]
“Respected professor emeritus, writer, widow of a beloved doctor,” Antonia is trying to make the best of what should have been a pastoral Vermont retirement had her kind, grounding Sam not suddenly died. To her three sisters – “the Dominican Greek chorus,” she calls them – her “I’m okay”-refrain is her best response. Her self-protective withdrawal proves short-lived when trouble literally comes knocking: Mario, an undocumented Mexican worker from the farm next door, urgently needs her bilingual help negotiating the safe arrival of his illegally traveling fiancée. And then the sisterhood goes off-kilter when the oldest, Izzy, suddenly disappears.
Award-winning stage actor Alma Cuervo is an ideal cipher for Alvarez’s first adult title in almost 15 years. Her warm, rich voice is perfectly matched to the resonating family drama. While Antonia clearly controls the spotlight, Cuervo effortlessly distinguishes the sisters, enhances with appropriate accents, and agilely adjusts for the diverse supporting cast. Reminiscent of the sororal bonds in the now-classic How the García Girls Lost Their Accents, Julia Alvarez’s latest will feel like a homecoming for devoted readers.
Review: “Media,” Booklist Online, March 26, 2021
Readers: Adult
Published: 2020