7 Must-Read Books on Afterlife  

Jul 14, 2023, 12:29 IST

Prisha

1. The Brief History of the Dead, by Kevin Brockmeier  

A post-apocalyptic fantasy novel that narrates the story of humans who are trapped between the living and the dead, and how things unfold once their mysterious city starts to shrink.  

2. Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders  

The book takes us through the death of Abraham Lincoln’s son William ‘Willie’ Wallace Lincoln and the time after that, and speaks of the grief of the president. The majority of the novel is based on the bardo, which is an intermediate space between life and rebirth.

3. The Inferno, by Dante Alighieri   

This 5,000-line poem talks about how hell has managed to survive seven centuries. In this, the journey of Dante through hell has been described, which is guided by the ancient Roman poet Virgil.

4. The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman  

The book narrates the story of the boy Nobody ‘Bod’ Owens, who is brutally murdered by his family and then adopted by the supernatural occupants of a graveyard.  

5. Hell, by Robert Olen Butler  

The book talks about an evening news presenter who finds himself in hell and struggles to explain his bad fortune. But he is not the only one suffering, and is surrounded by celebrities including Humphrey Bogart, William Shakespeare, popes and US presidents.   

6. The Great Divorce, by CS Lewis  

The book is based on the author’s theological dream vision in which he reflects on the conceptions of heaven and hell in Christianity.  

7. 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, by Elif Shafak   

The book narrates in detail the last 10 Minutes 38 Seconds of the protagonist after her death and the memories of life that swamp her mind.

VIEW ALL