Afterlight, by Rebecca Lim
What would you do if a ghost turned up in your bedroom, giving you the terrors every night? What if she had tasks for you to do? What if it all led to a mystery that put your life at risk?
Sophie hasn’t had it easy. Her parents were killed in a motorcycle accident. and in the pain and loneliness of grief she threw herself at her long time crush and only managed to incur public humiliation. So in her final year she moves to a new school, and though her height and bright red hair quickly earn her the name “Storkie”, at least it’s a fresh start.
Then the ghost turns up, who looks so much like her mother they could have been sisters. As her terror lessens, it becomes obvious the woman won’t leave until Sophie does what she wants. Instead of leaving her alone, though, things get more complicated. It all starts to snowball, even involving Jordan, the most popular and enigmatic guy at school. But it’s all a lot more dangerous than either of them were expecting.
Afterlight is a story of a girl trying to make sense of her life, while dealing with the afterlife. In Sophie, author Rebecca Lim gives us a protagonist who is grieving, lacking confidence and lonely, yet finds the strength to carry out the tasks the ghost sets for her, even though they’re way out of her comfort zone. The more involved she gets with the ghost, the more she comes to life.
There’s romance woven in, though Jordan serves more purpose in the plot that just the ‘hot guy’. Sophie has shut out everyone from her old school and is a loner in her new one. It’s only the ghost that brings Jordan and Sophie across the walls they’ve built around themselves.
The writing is tight and well-paced, witty and charming in many parts. It’s one of those books where the words disappear and all you see is the story.
The only thing I didn’t like about this book was the ending. I had that feeling, as you get closer to the last page, ‘How is this all going to be wrapped up in the space left?’ It wasn’t, of course. There is obviously more to come.
So, on one hand that’s great, because there’s more story. On the other hand, I was left on the last page, yelling, ‘Nooo!’
I can’t wait for the next one.
Details:
Afterlight by Rebecca Lim
The Text Publishing Company
ISBN: 9781925240498
Published: June 2015
Links:
Rebecca Lim at Text Publishing
Australian Women Writers Challenge