KnitAFett reviewed The astonishing color of after by Emily X. R. Pan
Surprised at the depth of this YA novel.
5 stars
Obvious trigger warning for this due to suicide and depression.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much of this book takes place in Taiwan and really appreciated that Emily did not box the characters into a small space and instead sent them out into the world and described the locations. The magical realism in this was very well done and took me by surprise a few times. There is the obligatory romance that I feel like YAs always require, but while it is an important part of Leigh's life, it does not take over the story by any means. Leigh's journey to her mother's home is always the priority along with figuring out what he mother would want for her to know.
The writing was well done and the imagery and descriptions were fantastic. Leigh sees emotions in colors and she uses art to translate those colors into images. I …
Obvious trigger warning for this due to suicide and depression.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much of this book takes place in Taiwan and really appreciated that Emily did not box the characters into a small space and instead sent them out into the world and described the locations. The magical realism in this was very well done and took me by surprise a few times. There is the obligatory romance that I feel like YAs always require, but while it is an important part of Leigh's life, it does not take over the story by any means. Leigh's journey to her mother's home is always the priority along with figuring out what he mother would want for her to know.
The writing was well done and the imagery and descriptions were fantastic. Leigh sees emotions in colors and she uses art to translate those colors into images. I don't necessarily think this is one that I would re-read again, but the story is one that will stick with me.
I also cannot express how appreciated it is that Pan did not give an event that caused the depression that destroys Leigh's mother. The sad reality is that there are many times that there is no cause for depression and media has done a horrible job at showing that. The author stated that this was written after she lost someone to suicide and it shows.
The grief driving this book was written so well and honestly could be a little triggering if one is reeling from a loss, so tread a little lightly. This book ripped me apart and stitched me back together many times and gets you really invested in what is going on. Definitely a high recommendation if you're at a place to be able to deal with an emotionally charged read.
