Life After by Katie Ganshert

On the day of a late spring storm, in Chicago, Autumn Manning boarded an “L” train. A bomb explodes, killing everyone in the train car except for Autumn—the sole survivor. A year has passed and Autumn suffocates under a blanket of what ifs and the pressing desire to bring the victims back to life, every day, if only for her. She doesn’t want their stories to be forgotten. She wants to undo what cannot be undone. An unexpected ally joins her efforts, also seeking answers and trying to find a way to stumble ahead.
But one victim’s husband, Paul Elliott, prays to let the dead—and their secrets—rest in peace, undisturbed and unable to hurt his loved ones.
Caught between loss and hope, these restless souls must release the past to embrace a sovereign God. 


Available through Waterbrook  and CBD

Meet the Author:
Katie (K.E.) Ganshert was born and raised in the exciting state of Iowa, where she currently resides with her family. She likes to write things and consume large quantities of coffee and chocolate while she writes all the things. She’s won some awards. For the writing, not the consuming. Although the latter would be fun.
You can learn more about Katie and these things she writes at her website www.katieganshert.com.



My Take:
I have enjoyed quite a few of Katie's books, and this one is no exception. She is an amazing author. I guess one of the things I seem to like the most, is that her books are realistic, easy to read, simple, yet so deep. It's like, you are just reading through them, and then you get to the end and you go, Ah... that makes so much sense, is it over already? I want more! You feel like you are part of the story, living in the midst of the characters and sharing their lives, their pain, their happiness.

In Life After, a lone survivor of a train accident, Autumn, is struggling with survivors guilt. She is so entrenched that her life has become more of an obsession with the dead, visiting the graveyard, keeping a scrap book of articles on the dead. Her big break happens when a young girl, whose mother died in the train crash, shows up at her door. Although this girl has been sending letters for months, Autumn has chosen to keep her distance. From there the story unfolds, and Autumn begins a new journey of hope and healing. She chooses life, not just for herself, but her goal is to help others remember the lives of their loved ones in a special way. 

This book is moving and emotional. You may laugh, you may cry, but you will feel like you know these people. They will become a part of you, and even when the book has ended, their memory will carry on in your heart. This is what happens when Katie writes. I remember characters from several books I've read of hers. I know they are just fictional.... but occasionally, I wonder... what happened to them.

I received this book free courtesy of Blogging for Books to read. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.