I really loved reading the flashbacks of her memories with her mother as well as of the growth of her relationship with her best friend Axel. After her mother’s death, her grief is shown clearly through colour imagery, the outlet most familiar to her, and through her refusal to accept the idea that her mother is truly gone. But she also struggles with expressing her independence to her father. Through glimpses into her past, it’s clear that she is a quiet yet passionate person, content to spend time doing what she loves – creating art. The Astonishing Color of After was not at all what I expected it to be – it was better! I was drawn in by the beautiful cover and the premise of magic in the real world that would come through Leigh’s Asian heritage, but I was hooked on the imagery and the beautifully woven memories. *Huge thank you to Hachette Book Group Canada for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!* 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.Īlternating 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. In her search, she winds up chasing after ghosts, uncovering family secrets, and forging a new relationship with her grandparents.

There, she is determined to find her mother, the bird. Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. Synopsis: Leigh Chen Sanders is absolutely certain about one thing: When her mother died by suicide, she turned into a bird.

The astonishing color of after book