Title: Preparation for the Next Life
Author: Atticus Lish
First published November 11, 2014
417 pages, Paperback
ISBN: 9780988518339 (ISBN10: 0988518333)
Rating: 3.76
Overview
In the aftermath of the Raccoon City incident, Jill Valentine is ready to put the horrors of her past behind her. But Umbrella Corporation has other plans.
They need to retrieve or destroy any evidence of their twisted experiments before it’s too late. With a deadly virus spreading through the city and Umbrella’s latest creation, an evolved Tyrant-class killing machine, on the loose, Jill finds herself in the crosshairs of a deadly game of cat and mouse.
As she fights for survival, Jill must confront the demons of her past and make a choice that could mean the difference between life and death. In “Nemesis” by S.D. Perry, the stakes have never been higher and Jill Valentine has never been more alone.
About the Author
Meet Atticus Lish, a talented American novelist born in 1972. His debut novel, titled “Preparation for the Next Life,” took the literary world by surprise by becoming a huge success, and winning numerous awards such as the prestigious PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.
Lish currently resides in Sunset Park, Brooklyn with his beloved wife. It’s worth noting that he is the son of the highly respected literary editor, Gordon Lish.
Editoral Review
Preparation for the Next Life by Atticus Lish is a haunting and heartbreaking novel that offers a raw and unflinching look into the lives of two marginalized people struggling to make a life for themselves in contemporary New York City. Lish, the son of legendary editor Gordon Lish, has crafted a literary masterpiece that is both compelling and deeply affecting.
Set against the backdrop of a post-9/11 America, the novel follows the intersecting lives of two unlikely lovers: Skinner, a traumatized Iraq war veteran with a turbulent past, and Zou Lei, an undocumented Chinese immigrant haunted by her own demons. As they navigate the harsh realities of poverty, discrimination, and violence, the two find solace in their shared humanity and the transformative power of love.
Lish’s prose is spare and unsentimental, yet deeply lyrical and evocative. He masterfully weaves together the gritty realism of urban life with the poetic beauty of nature, painting a vivid portrait of a city that is at once cruel and beautiful.
What sets Preparation for the Next Life apart from other novels of its kind is its unflinching honesty and authenticity. Lish’s characters are not mere archetypes, but fully realized human beings with their own hopes, fears, and flaws.
Skinner and Zou Lei are not heroes, but flawed individuals struggling to survive in a world that is not always kind. At its core, Preparation for the Next Life is a novel about the human spirit and its infinite capacity for resilience and renewal.
It is a testament to the enduring power of love and the transformative potential of empathy and understanding. While the novel is not without its flaws, such as its occasionally slow pacing and its limited portrayal of the broader social and political context, these shortcomings are outweighed by its many strengths.
Lish’s elegant prose, nuanced characterizations, and profound insights into the complexities of the human experience make Preparation for the Next Life a must-read for anyone interested in contemporary literature. In conclusion, Preparation for the Next Life is a stunning and thought-provoking novel that will linger in the reader’s mind long after the last page is turned.
It is a powerful work of fiction that speaks to the most pressing issues of our time, from immigration and war to poverty and mental illness. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for a masterful and moving exploration of the human condition.
