Preparation for the Next Life

By: Atticus Lish

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Zou Lei, orphan of the desert, migrates to work in America and finds herself slaving in New York's kitchens. She falls in love with a young man whose heart has been broken in another desert. A new life may be possible if together they can survive homelessness, lockup, and the young man's nightmares, which may be more prophecy than madness.

©2014 Atticus Lish (P)2015 Audible Inc.

Critic reviews

• Winner of the 2015 PEN/Faulkner Award

“Dizzying in its ambition and exhilarating in its triumph." (The New York Times Book Review)

"Preparation for the Next Life isn’t just the best novel I’ve read this year, it may be the best novel I’ve read, ever. I’ve seen the book appearing on quite a few 'best of' lists recently—well deserved. And I am now a believer: this book should be in the conversation for a national prize." (Publishers Weekly, Best of 2014)

"Perhaps the finest and most unsentimental love story of the new decade." (The New York Times)

Wish I could be more positive

I so wanted to be uplifted, and was left depressed. Sad.

I always look for redeeming value...could not find it.

powerful

a nightmare view of the. lower world condemned to misery violence and squalor in the empires and metropolis. List makes you feel the terror and hopelessness A modern Les Miserables

Compelling love story

This book has all of the elements of a good story, plus an incredibly complex cast of characters. I listened to the whole thing almost straight through. One of the best books I've come across in a long time.

Buzzing with raw life, the hope and the hardship!

The writing style and narration transport you into a brutal reality and a beautiful bond. This has become one of my favorite books. I own the paperback, but I am so glad I switched to the audiobook to listen to while I worked, because the narrator did such a good job of making even a fleeting encounter with a background character feel totally unique, just like when you do walk past random people in the street and only catch a snippet of their conversation, and you catch yourself imagining their whole life up until that point. Combined with the author's no frills, true to life writing style, I felt 100% present in these difficult lives with their unfairly dealt cards. Just how the real world is.

An Incredible Work

Excellent writing; a riveting story that is visual, emotional and instructive. Lish brings the reader inside every characters head in a masterful way. Deserves every bit of praise he and the book have received.

Choppy, but Interesting...

Would you consider the audio edition of Preparation for the Next Life to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the book.

If you’ve listened to books by Atticus Lish before, how does this one compare?

I haven't - my first from Atticus Lish

What about Robertson Dean’s performance did you like?

He captured the personalities of the characters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Two moments that I thought were great. The first when skinner is allowed to sleep upstairs at the fast food place and the "run" where he felt drained and normal for the first time in a long time.

Any additional comments?

Loved the ending!

do not miss this one

Would you listen to Preparation for the Next Life again? Why?

This was one of the best books I have heard....ever. the reader's odd style aided in the story telling so much. I just loved this book, even though it was very depressing and sad. A look in to a apart of American life I have never heard about before.

Mesmerizing, Heartbreaking, & Unforgettable Story

I only hope that my review can do this book justice. It is a rare occurrence that I am so affected by a book that it keeps popping up in my mind again and again after I have finished. The book was so vivid for me that I feel as if I lived it along with the two main protagonists. There is something about the writing style, the short, simple, and choppy sentences, that fits the characters perfectly; it lifted the story way above any possibility of ordinary-ness. It is very descriptive, in that we see what the characters see, feel, hear, and even taste along with them. For some, this style of descriptiveness makes the story too slow moving or maybe even boring. I am sorry for those that feel that way, as they will not experience the story as I did, totally compelling and interesting. As I described in another of my reviews, it is sort of like being shrunken and riding along in the character's shirt pocket as an observer.

PftNL has been described as a love story. That is definitely not how I would describe this novel. It is much more than a love story and certainly does not fall into the romance genre, nor godforbid, chicklit. This book is so much more than a love story. It is the tale of two people, Zou Lei (Zoh-lay), a Chinese Muslim undocumented immigrant and Skinner, a 23-year-old male that has recently returned from the Iraq war and is suffering from severe PTSD. Both of them are struggling to survive at the most basic levels at the margins of society in New York City.

In reading other reviews, it seems that you are either blown away by this book or you really dislike it. You may not like it if you prefer a more action-oriented story or you are disturbed by violence (there is one short but very violent scene in the book which really disturbed me.) You certainly will not like this novel if you are looking for some joy in a story. There is none here.

I was very on edge toward the end of the story and am happy to say, my worst nightmare did not happen. I feel that the ending was satisfactory, believable, and fitting.

As for the author, I scratch my head and wonder how a man who describes himself as coming from "huge privilege" could be able to capture the seamy side of life and living at the margins of society so impeccably. The narrator does this book justice, doing an expert job with both main characters. I look forward to hearing more from both of them in the near future.

Heartbreakingly Real

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Definitely would recommend this audiobook. It reveals an American landscape that Americans do not see, or having seen it, would deny its reality. If you care to know how post-911 America has marred and scarred the day to day world of immigrants and Americans alike, you need to pay attention to this portrait.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Preparation for the Next Life?

I loved the first courtship scenes between Skinner and Zou Lei. They are so vulnerable, and so full of hope that their devotion to one another will overcome the formidable obstacles in front of them. These scenes are so human and touchingly real, I couldn't tear myself away from the story.

Have you listened to any of Robertson Dean’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not heard Robertson Dean before, but I would not hesitate to listen to him again. He handled both male and female voices, and those with foreign accents consistently well. I thought his reading was flawless.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I usually do not enjoy books (or movies) with such gritty, dark material. I found myself repulsed by the lengthy descriptions of an inhuman urban landscape, peopled by lost souls. Still, the descriptions were so detailed, so authentic, so tragically clear, I could not stop listening.

Any additional comments?

I think Atticus Lish has captured the reality of post-911 America as clearly as Cormac McCarthy captured a fictional post-Apocolypse America in The Road. It's a bumpy ride, but it will open your eyes and your hearts.

Hard

Too real, but necessarily so to communicate the spirit of this story. I really had to gear up and be ready every time I hit play. I wouldn't want to steer anyone away from what I think is an important story to be told, just preface your experience by saying, be ready to hear it.