After Eli - Rebecca Rupp
The main character in this book, Daniel, is obsessed with death. Ever since his older brother, Eli, was killed in the Iraq War, Daniel has been keeping a 'book of the dead', writing down the cause of death of various historical figures. Although Daniel doesn't recognise it, this is his way of coping with the grief surrounding his brother's loss. His parents are coping far worse.
Although the 'book of the dead' is an important feature of After Eli, the plot doesn't focus on it too much, mostly including facts from the book as epigraphs to open each chapter (and tie into the theme of the chapter slightly). Instead, After Eli is far more reminiscent of something like Bridge to Terabithia: a slightly melancholic story about a young boy falling in love with a girl who draws him out of his shell, even though foreshadowing makes us predict they will not end up together.
In After Eli, the girl is question is Isabelle, a free-spirited, slightly odd girl with two younger hyper-active twin siblings. She befriends Daniel and an intellectual outcast named Walter, and the three spend a summer chatting about love, philosophy, theology, and various other topics. A chapter where Isabelle has the group use a ouija board was not a favourite of mine.
Overall, it is sweet, and has a bit to say about dealing with grief, but it is not a book I see myself revisiting, mostly due to the different spiritual worldview.
Completed 22 July 2025.
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