What the community thinks
summary of 1637 ratings (see reviews)
Content warnings
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Graphic
Suicide (8 reviewers), Death of parent (5 reviewers), Mental illness (4 reviewers), Grief (4 reviewers), Death (3 reviewers), Suicidal thoughts (2 reviewers), Suicide attempt (2 reviewers), Cursing (1 reviewer), Blood (1 reviewer), and Medical trauma (1 reviewer)Moderate
Suicide (3 reviewers), Mental illness (2 reviewers), Grief (2 reviewers), Self harm (1 reviewer), Sexual content (1 reviewer), Suicidal thoughts (1 reviewer), Medical content (1 reviewer), Suicide attempt (1 reviewer), and Death of parent (1 reviewer)Minor
Racism (3 reviewers), Sexual assault (1 reviewer), Sexual content (1 reviewer), Suicide (1 reviewer), Blood (1 reviewer), and Suicide attempt (1 reviewer)Moods
emotional 97%
sad 76%
reflective 70%
mysterious 40%
inspiring 36%
hopeful 34%
dark 21%
adventurous 19%
challenging 10%
tense 4%
informative 2%
sad 76%
reflective 70%
mysterious 40%
inspiring 36%
hopeful 34%
dark 21%
adventurous 19%
challenging 10%
tense 4%
informative 2%
Pace
medium 54%
slow 37%
fast 8%
slow 37%
fast 8%
Plot- or character-driven?
Character: 65% | A mix: 35%Strong character development?
Yes: 88% | No: 6% | It's complicated: 4%Loveable characters?
Yes: 83% | It's complicated: 9% | No: 7%Diverse cast of characters?
Yes: 95% | It's complicated: 2% | No: 2%Flaws of characters a main focus?
Yes: 72% | It's complicated: 17% | No: 10%Average rating
Buy The Astonishing Color of After
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Leigh Chen Sanders is absolutely certain about one thing: When her mother died by suicide, she turned into a bird.
Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. There, she is determined to find her mother, the bird. In her search, she winds up chasing after ghosts, uncovering family secrets, and forging a new relationship with her grandparents. And as she grieves, she must try to reconcile the fact that on the same day she kissed her best friend and longtime secret crush, Axel, her mother was taking her own life.
Alternating between real and magic, past and present, friendship and romance, hope and despair, The Astonishing Color of After is a novel about finding oneself through family history, art, grief, and love.
Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. There, she is determined to find her mother, the bird. In her search, she winds up chasing after ghosts, uncovering family secrets, and forging a new relationship with her grandparents. And as she grieves, she must try to reconcile the fact that on the same day she kissed her best friend and longtime secret crush, Axel, her mother was taking her own life.
Alternating between real and magic, past and present, friendship and romance, hope and despair, The Astonishing Color of After is a novel about finding oneself through family history, art, grief, and love.
Buy The Astonishing Color of After
United States
Bookshop US
Other countries
Bookshop UK
Blackwell's
The StoryGraph is an affiliate of the featured links. We earn commission on any purchases made.
Leigh Chen Sanders is absolutely certain about one thing: When her mother died by suicide, she turned into a bird.
Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. There, she is determined to find her mother, the bird. In her search, she winds up chasing after ghosts, uncovering family secrets, and forging a new relationship with her grandparents. And as she grieves, she must try to reconcile the fact that on the same day she kissed her best friend and longtime secret crush, Axel, her mother was taking her own life.
Alternating between real and magic, past and present, friendship and romance, hope and despair, The Astonishing Color of After is a novel about finding oneself through family history, art, grief, and love.
Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. There, she is determined to find her mother, the bird. In her search, she winds up chasing after ghosts, uncovering family secrets, and forging a new relationship with her grandparents. And as she grieves, she must try to reconcile the fact that on the same day she kissed her best friend and longtime secret crush, Axel, her mother was taking her own life.
Alternating between real and magic, past and present, friendship and romance, hope and despair, The Astonishing Color of After is a novel about finding oneself through family history, art, grief, and love.
What the community thinks
summary of 1637 ratings (see reviews)
Content warnings
View warnings
Graphic
Suicide (8 reviewers), Death of parent (5 reviewers), Mental illness (4 reviewers), Grief (4 reviewers), Death (3 reviewers), Suicidal thoughts (2 reviewers), Suicide attempt (2 reviewers), Cursing (1 reviewer), Blood (1 reviewer), and Medical trauma (1 reviewer)Moderate
Suicide (3 reviewers), Mental illness (2 reviewers), Grief (2 reviewers), Self harm (1 reviewer), Sexual content (1 reviewer), Suicidal thoughts (1 reviewer), Medical content (1 reviewer), Suicide attempt (1 reviewer), and Death of parent (1 reviewer)Minor
Racism (3 reviewers), Sexual assault (1 reviewer), Sexual content (1 reviewer), Suicide (1 reviewer), Blood (1 reviewer), and Suicide attempt (1 reviewer)Moods
emotional 97%
sad 76%
reflective 70%
mysterious 40%
inspiring 36%
hopeful 34%
dark 21%
adventurous 19%
challenging 10%
tense 4%
informative 2%
sad 76%
reflective 70%
mysterious 40%
inspiring 36%
hopeful 34%
dark 21%
adventurous 19%
challenging 10%
tense 4%
informative 2%
Pace
medium 54%
slow 37%
fast 8%
slow 37%
fast 8%
Plot- or character-driven?
Character: 65% | A mix: 35%Strong character development?
Yes: 88% | No: 6% | It's complicated: 4%Loveable characters?
Yes: 83% | It's complicated: 9% | No: 7%Diverse cast of characters?
Yes: 95% | It's complicated: 2% | No: 2%Flaws of characters a main focus?
Yes: 72% | It's complicated: 17% | No: 10%Average rating