Member Reviews
Purple R, Reviewer
My unrestrained thoughts: I picked this book primarily because of the cover – and loved it. So, the moral of the story is, always judge a book by its cover because it might end up becoming your favorite read. xD
Now, onto a little sophisticated review – it may contain tiny spoilers!
Steven Ives’ Even After Always is a mix of many things. You might say it’s a mystery, but I will counter you by saying it’s more about dealing with grief. There’s a little bit of everything… and I love it!
The novel is set in the early 90s, where we meet CJ, a smart, self-critical, and withdrawn teenager. He has recently lost his sister… and by extension, his mother too ., so you can imagine his state of mind. In simple words, he wants to be as invisible as possible. In his school, in his house… in life too.
But his world soon topples over when he meets Izzy, a beautiful, brave, and carefree enigma. She believes she is a reincarnation of a girl whose heart was ripped out by a serial killer. There is somewhat of a proof to her theory, in the shape of a birthmark, the same as the scar the killer had made. While CJ doesn’t necessarily believe this theory, he believes her Izzy, even though they first met not more than 48 hours earlier. What follows is a chain of shocking events that only make sense once you shut the book and sit with the story.
For me, the best part of this book was CJ. I identified with him, not just for his grief but also for the way he approached everything. The best example would be his hesitation to believe Izzy as she narrated her life story. While I love reading about such wacky things, all I can think is how the serial killer-reincarnation-mystery triangle is impossible. CJ echoed my own thoughts on multiple instances, which I was absolutely thrilled about.
Even with all the mystery and drama, there was a realistic quality to the story that stayed even during the climax. Because, under it all, the book was about how people process grief, the dynamics between bullies and the bullied, self-hatred, and the importance of (silent) support. It is a delicately crafted bildungsroman that’ll leave you wanting more!
What I liked
o The mystery:
Izzy’s… mission, so to speak, was absolutely cool, the morbidity of the situation aside. If I was in CJ’s place, I’d be hooked to Izzy too – she had one of the most fascinating lives I’ve ever come across, fictional or otherwise. Well, there’s a high chance many killers have gone undetected in real life. So, it just made sense to me that this fictional one was able to operate invisibly for all these years.
The entire mystery was not revealed – but there were enough clues to piece together the entire picture of this crime. Though, I must admit that I wanted some more insight into the killer’s mind… but never mind.
Wacky storylines:
The story started out as one thing – a boy losing his sister to cancer. But then, the author took it to a wholly different place, involving reincarnation, serial killers, and murder by police. The author threw curveballs over curveballs and I was not ready for any of them (in a pleasantly surprised way, okay?). And yet, everything just fit in beside each other – it felt like a natural progression of things. The epilogue left me with a relieved feeling because the author took care of tying all loose ends together perfectly.
Mr. Walker:
Out of all the side characters I saw, I would choose Mr. Walker over everyone else. He was understanding and kind but also stern when needed. To be honest, he appeared more like a father figure to CJ than his own father sometimes. His presence just reinforced how important it is to have someone stand in your corner unfalteringly. Oh, what I would do to have a Mr. Walker in my life!
What I wasn’t impressed with:
I guess the difficult part for me to digest was the overlapping plotlines. It goes without saying that I loved them all, but in the initial pages, I was overwhelmed. Like, is this about CJ making peace with Carina’s death? Or is this about his fight with the bullies? Or is it about his friendship/romance with Izzy? Or is it about the serial killer? But then, it struck me that it is like real life – everything happening all at once, instead of one by one. And that helped me adjust my perspective a lot.
Another thing that bothered me (mildly) is how the life of the serial killer was not explored. As I’ve already mentioned above, I would’ve loved to know more about the psychology behind his killings and why he kept collecting hearts. I do have an idea, but mentioning the backstory would’ve been even better, as the protagonists spend a better part of the book hunting him.
Final Words
I have read many books but only some have left me with a cathartic feeling after reading – and one of them is Even After Always. It is filled with grief, philosophic musings, reincarnation talks, and tender love, all covered by the eerie but enticing shroud of high-tension mystery.
PS: A prequel focusing on Izzy’s life before she met CJ… Please… Or a pre-prequel on the serial killer… There are so many avenues…
Thanks to NetGalley and River Grove Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
#netgalley #arcreview
