A review by manaledi
Preparation for the Next Life by Atticus Lish

4.0

This book was real. And hard. It didn't fall into any of the feel-good traps of how love solves everything or PTSD will just get better or that immigration struggles eventually just go away. It humanized the people it can be easier not to think about - the Chinese Uighur girl working in the back of a take-out Chinese food joint, or the army vet falling-down drunk on the streets. The book is full of moral lessons about our individual battles and stories, but without hitting you over the head with a "right" way to look at anything. It took me a bit to fully get into the book, but I stayed up way too late finishing it.