Review of "The Life After" by Deidra Lookingbill

Score: 95/100 (9.5 out of 10)

Welcome to HELL!

Well, sorta.

As implied by the title, The Life After by Deidra Lookingbill welcomes us to the mysterious, perilous, frightening, and utterly fascinating afterlife!

It's a question as old as humanity itself: What happens when we die?
Is it just the end?
Do we experience eternal bliss or eternal damnation?
Do we go to a place of purgatory?
Are we reincarnated?

The Life After is a supernatural novel that explores the themes of death, the afterlife, morality, and personal agency. The story follows Penelope, a sixteen-year-old girl who dies in a car accident and finds herself in a strange, bureaucratic afterlife where she must face a series of trials to determine her fate. With an engaging narrative voice, a richly built supernatural world, and intriguing philosophical undertones, the novel delves into the uncertainties of what comes after death.

At times, it is thrilling. At times, it's reflective.
At all times, it's thought-provoking!

Lookingbill (the author) really knows how to start a novel—right in medes res, it the heat of the action!

Penelope is faced with a horrifying moral dilemma—whether to condemn her friend Denise, who is responsible for her death, to eternal damnation or grant her mercy. This sets the stage for the novel’s themes of moral choice and justice.

The main narrative unfolds through Penelope’s first-person perspective. She initially describes her life as a somewhat typical teenager, navigating a complicated family dynamic, a dreaded family reunion, and the excitement of her sixteenth birthday. However, a sudden car accident takes her life, thrusting her into an eerie afterlife filled with bureaucratic entities, sinister guides, and a set of cryptic rules she must navigate.

She encounters June/Culsu, her afterlife guide, who is both apathetic and overwhelmed by her responsibilities. Initially meant to be reincarnated, Penelope learns that because she died on her sixteenth birthday, she qualifies for The Trials, a series of supernatural challenges designed to test her soul. If she fails, she risks eternal punishment. Through this, the novel builds tension and mystery around what exactly these trials entail.

She meets other spirits, such as Phil, a ghost who manipulates her for his own vengeful motives, revealing the dangers of trusting the wrong people in the afterlife. This dynamic also highlights the novel’s exploration of morality—how people (and spirits) make choices based on their experiences and grievances. Phil sorta fits the mischief-making archetype of a character like Loki in Norse mythology. However, despite being an antagonist, Phil's existence also brings up other moral questions such as: Can even the worst of us be saved? Do even the worst of us deserve a chance?

As she navigates The Trials, Penelope is forced to make difficult ethical decisions, face past regrets, and reckon with the concept of justice in ways she never imagined.

While most of the plot centers around The Trials, another major plot point is the concept of "the Power of Six"--which seems to be the idea that six characters are meant to fulfill a higher purpose together.

Indeed, Penelope is not alone in her journey. And one of the most beautiful things about this book is how Penelope, despite a rather mundane life, is still able to connect with and empathize with other characters in various ways—seeing a bit of her own self (and her loved ones) in them.

She sees Leo as a reflection of her own search for meaning. His quiet strength and deep emotional understanding remind her of the person she might have become if given more time. In him, she finds both comfort and curiosity—a companion whose presence soothes her as she navigates the unknown.

Leo, in a lot of ways, seems to be the deuteragonist (or, perhaps, tritagonist behind Denise) of the book, playing a role that extends beyond that of a mere ally. While The Life After centers on Penelope’s journey, Leo’s presence gives her something she didn’t realize she needed: a reason to keep pushing forward beyond just survival. He is a grounding force when the trials become overwhelming, someone who not only understands the burden of dying young but also meets it with an unwavering resolve.

There’s also the question of whether Leo is a love interest for Penelope. The novel doesn’t explicitly push a romantic angle, but their deep emotional bond suggests an attachment that surpasses mere friendship. Yes, there is a somewhat questionable age difference between them—he was nineteen when he died, while she had just turned sixteen—but in the afterlife, the passage of time and traditional constraints of age seem to dissolve. Both of them are, in essence, souls untethered from the rules that once defined them, making their connection feel more like two people meeting on equal ground rather than a conventional teenage romance.

One of the most powerful moments in the book that truly cements their bond is when Penelope vehemently refuses to let Leo suffer under the villainous Yu for her own sake. This moment is more than just a display of loyalty—it is an affirmation of her character’s growth. Penelope, who begins the book unsure of herself and questioning the weight of her own choices, takes an active stand to protect someone she cares about, even when it means facing the possibility of greater suffering for herself. The scene highlights the depth of their bond, showing that Penelope values Leo not just as an ally, but as someone truly irreplaceable in her journey.

Leo’s presence in The Life After serves as a reminder that even in death, connection and purpose still exist. He is not just someone for Penelope to rely on—he challenges her, strengthens her, and ultimately gives her the emotional anchor she needs to face the trials ahead.

Moving on... Mike the Marine embodies the sense of duty and protection that Penelope always associated with father figures, even before she knew that they were related. His unwavering resolve mirrors her own growing determination, and through him, she starts to understand that strength isn’t just about survival—it’s about sacrifice and responsibility.

Denise Cozbi, perhaps the most complicated of the group, forces Penelope to confront her own capacity for judgment and forgiveness. Learning that Denise played a role in her death shakes her to her core, but in Denise’s regret and guilt, Penelope begins to understand that people are rarely defined by a single action. It’s a lesson in moral complexity—one that ultimately challenges her deepest fears about justice and redemption.

Steele, hardened by years of isolation in Seven, reminds Penelope of the weight of regret and the human need for connection. Where she once might have feared him, she instead sees someone burdened by past mistakes, not unlike how she struggles with the guilt of sentencing Denise to eternal damnation. By helping Steele, she is, in many ways, helping herself find clarity and purpose.

Steele received his name from his mother, who told him he had to be strong like steel. His real name is Stephen Monroe, but his mother began calling him Steele because, after his father's death, she expected him to be the man of the house and to embody strength and resilience.

This really exemplifies the depth of all of these characters, as they're all so much more than they initially seem.

While this book isn't as humorous, cheeky, or complex as An Interview with Death, a very similar book by V.K. Vasanen, the justice seems to be on its side. Unlike the protagonist of Vasanen's novel, who was irksome and not a very good person overall, the protagonist of Lookingbill's novel is a good person who growing even more with compassionate, kindness, and empathy. This just seems like a far more just view of the world and the universe than the one portrayed in Vasanen's book. There actually seems to be justice in this universe. With that said, it does often seem like the world is unjust and cruel, so that's not a total slight on Vasanen.

One of the most frustrating things about Vasanen's novel, in comparison, is how it didn't seem like Nathan (the protagonist) could right his many wrongs or save the people he wronged. Like Dante in Dante's Inferno, he was more like a passive protagonist, even when he got Death powers/responsibilities—that doesn't exactly rectify his failures earlier in the book. Yes, he feels bad taking lives because he gains a bit of empathy, but... that's not the same as making things right. In comparison, Penelope and her companions are actively going through trials and tribulations, taking on villainous, sadistic, frightening beings, and confronting their personal demons. They actually seem to be trying to right their wrongs and make things right. They actually seem to be on an upward trajectory that we can get behind.

The Life After does a phenomenal job of showcasing how empathy and connection transcend life and death. Penelope, despite her sarcastic and often skeptical outlook, finds common ground with each of the Six in ways that challenge her understanding of herself and others.

What's important to note is that she doesn't just bond with them over their mutual need for their souls to survive, but—as elaborated on before—she bonds with them because she actually grows to connect with and care about them. And because SHE cares about them, the reader cares for them.

There are also some nice passages in here, exemplifying good writing. Look at how poetic and atmospheric the following passage is:

"Cold.
The first sensation I felt was not a slight chill in the air but a blast
so forceful it was like being punched with a fist made of pure ice.

Putrid.
Almost as quickly as the cold hit me, the stench of rotten meat filled
my nostrils. No, not just my nostrils. It filled every part of me. My
brain, the little hairs on my arms, even the pink toenail sticking out of
the hole in my sock was acutely aware of the foul odor. It permeated me.
It became part of me. I was one with the stink in the air.

Dark.
The library was dimly lit, but this space, wherever I was, was almost
pitch black. I could make out basic shapes within close range but beyond
that there were no details. I swam through the darkness as I shivered
from the frigid air and my own fear."

Check it out on Amazon!