Afterward
Edith Wharton

Boo – Every good writer should write a ghost story, a dog story, and a Christmas story. “Afterward” is a bit of a twofer: a ghost story in which a key part of the plot takes place around Christmastime. Wharton tells an engaging story and demonstrates why, in just under 12,000 words, she is a master. Her flashback structure at the book’s beginning echoes the book’s title and theme; plus, her clever, strategic repetition of the word, “Afterward,” creates a most haunting effect.