Emily X. R. Pan’s highly anticipated debut, The Astonishing Color of After, is already garnering critical acclaim months ahead of its release date. Called an “inventive and heart-wrenching debut” by Gayle Forman and “a poignant reminder of grief’s power and the transcendence of love” by Renee Ahdieh, it’s at the top of our most-anticipated Young Adult books list for 2018.
Here’s the scoop on the plot, courtesy of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers:
Leigh Sanders is absolutely certain about one thing: When her mother died by suicide, she turned into a bird.
In the aftermath of her mother’s suicide, Leigh travels to Taiwan to stay with her maternal grandparents whom she has never met. There, she is determined to find her mother in whatever form she takes. As Leigh grieves, she uncovers family secrets, forges a new relationship with her grandparents, and tries to reconcile the fact that on the same day she kissed her best friend and long-time crush, Axel, her mother was taking her own life.
You’ll want to keep an eye out for The Astonishing Color of After, which will be released on March 20th, 2018. And with its beautiful cover design by Sasha Illingworth, it’ll be hard to miss.
