The After Wife
by Gigi Levangie Grazer
Publication Date: July 10, 2012
Pages: 320
Hannah Bernal is positively destroyed by the sudden death of her husband, John. He was riding his bike to work one morning when he was hit and killed, leaving Hannah and their three year old daughter, Ellie, to struggle through life without him. To say that she is destroyed really is not succinct enough in my mind, Hannah could hardly get out of bed and she certainly could not work.
Thank God she had her "Grief Team" to keep things running. Her BFF's, Jay, Chloe, and Aimee are there to keep Hannah from descending into an abyss of grief. But even the "Grief Team" can not intervene when Hannah starts to see dead people everywhere she turns. First it starts with Trisha, then it continues with more "spirits" then she finally sees John. And even though she is pissed beyond belief that he forgot to pay the life insurance premiums, she is glad to see the love of her life in any way possible. But is she really seeing ghosts or has her grief pushed her over the mental edge?
Believe it or not, while reading a book about heartbreaking loss and grief, I often found myself laughing out loud. Gigi Levangie Grazer is a gifted writer who is comfortable with the self deprecating kind of humor and Hannah is quite comfortable at poking fun at herself. Hannah's "Grief Team" is such an eclectic group of friends that there are several laughs to be found there as well. I never imagine that I would my find myself laughing at a book with such a serious subject matter, but it really is quite funny.
Bottom line, while Hannah's grief may move you to tears, it is easy to find things to laugh about in
The After Wife. The characters are unique, yet real. They are there for Hannah and Ellie in a way that only the best of friends can be. Couple that with a little romance and a lot of humor and you have the makings of a fun Summer read.
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