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A Memoir
by Amy Lin
Here After is a poetic, raw depiction of an unlikely love followed by a dizzying loss. A stunning, taut memoir from debut Canadian author Amy Lin that will resonate deeply with anyone who has been in grief's grasp.
"When he dies, I fall out of time."
Amy Lin never expected to find a love like the one she shares with her husband, Kurtis, a gifted young architect who pulls her toward joy, adventure, and greater self-acceptance. On a sweltering August morning, only a few months shy of the newlyweds' move to Vancouver, thirty-two-year-old Kurtis heads out to run a half-marathon with Amy's family. It's the last time she sees her husband alive.
What follows is a rich and unflinchingly honest portrayal of her life with Kurtis, the vortex created by his death, and the ongoing struggle Amy faces as she attempts to understand her own experience in the context of commonly held "truths" about what the grieving process looks like.
Here After is an intimate story of deep love followed by dizzying loss; a memoir so finely etched that its power will remain with you long after the final page.
Dominic says, “It feels like there’s a key to life and death, and if I can figure it out, I can transcend it.” Gwen responds, “I think it’s about accepting…that you’re just another thing on this planet.” What’s your take on this conversation?
Huh. I don't really remember this conversation and reading it here, it feels so disconnected from the rest of the book, that I am not sure what the author was getting at. I guess that it looks at free will and that somehow this entire chain of events was set in motion by a combination of Marin's ...
-Alisa_C
Dominic’s business is hosting “Abel Haggerty Murder Tours,” taking people to sites associated with Haggerty’s crimes. What’s your opinion of this profession? Have you heard of anything like it in real life? Would you go on such a tour?
I'm a fan of Date Line, 20/20, and other true crime stories, I might actually go on a tour out of curiosity. I am just shocked and curious, of what people do, Truth is stranger than fiction is what I always say!
-Diane_P
What did you think of the narrative shift to Natalie’s point of view in Part 2?
I agree with the other readers and found the narrative shift to Natalie's point of view very interesting. It added another dimension to the story line and kept the momentum moving forward.
-Melissa_Chaitin
The book begins: “On the day my mother was released from prison I stubbed my toe four times. Same toe. Four times. It was a statistical anomaly and, in hindsight, a warning that bad things were coming my way.” What did you think of this opening?
Truthfully I wasn't sure what to think. My first thought was I am not sure if I am going to like this book. I also thought that the author had a sense of humor I just wasn't sure if it was my sense of humor. Now having read the book I do think that the first line did set the stage for what was to...
-Robyn_N
At the end of the book, Gwen tells Elyse she knows what happened to Elyse’s family was her fault, and Elyse concurs. Do you think Elyse forgives Gwen? Do you think Gwen forgives herself?
I don't think Elyse forgives Gwen, but Elyse finally acknowledges the truth—something she has avoided or buried for years. Elyse accepts the truth instead of resisting it, opening the door to forgiveness down the line—if possible Gwen has carried guilt throughout the novel. Gwen accepts responsib...
-Jill
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (11/6/2025)
Let's see… So last week I was fortunate enough to read two absolutely wonderful novels. The first, https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/23451/the-young-will-remember The Young Will Remember by Eve J. Chung, won't be out until May - but be on the lookout for i...
-kim.kovacs
In addition to taking the reader into the world of modeling, The Cover Girl also offers a behind-the-scenes look at a 1970s rock tour. What role does music play in the novel? How does Birdie's interaction with music change over time?
The author did a good job of giving the reader of what life in a rock band was like. Thinking back to the story line, Birdie was chosen by the rock star; Birdie did choose him. Certain songs he sang seemed important to her. She was not comfortable with the band touring. Still cannot explain why B...
-Arlene_Iannazzi
Only Killers and Thieves by Paul Howorth
After quite a long read I have finished this book, and I want to share with you a review where I discuss the book's impact on me. The plight of indigenous people throughout the history of the world has always been one of my personal interests. This book offered me an opportunity to understand mor...
-Joe_Bozovich
Baldwin died in 1987. Which movies that premiered after his death, featuring Black actors in major roles, would you have liked his opinion on?
Rosewood Amistad Mississippi Burning Glory Lincoln
-Heather_M
"As the author navigates the wake of her inexplicable loss, readers will be both humbled by and grateful for the way she brings us into her world. A beautifully visceral and emotionally intimate depiction of young widowhood."
―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Told in short, poetic vignettes that stun in their depth, love, and pain. It's heartbreaking, beautiful, and above all, honest with ... a small light of hope. Highly recommended."
―Booklist (starred review)
"This book is a little wonder―a clear, utterly courageous act of love."
―ELLE
"It has been years since I have been so rocked, so moved, by any book, as I have been by Here After by the earthquaking new talent Amy Lin. Lin invites us into this place of exquisite pain and beauty; what a great gift she has given us." —Lauren Groff, author of Fates and Furies
"Amy Lin's debut memoir is a testament to everything beautiful and heartbreaking and necessary in this world. With sheer precision and unflinching candor, she shares the depths of love and loss, hope and healing. Not since Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking has a book cracked open my heart the way Here After has." ―Debbie Millman, author of Why Design Matters and host of Design Matters
This information about Here After was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Amy Lin is a writer and educator who lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. A recipient of residencies from Yaddo and Casa Comala, her work has been published in Ploughshares. Here After is her debut memoir.
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