Denis Ever After

Stunned. That’s the only word I can think of. No string of words I could put together would do this book justice.

Denis died when he was 7-years-old under mysterious circumstances. For the last 5 years, he has been in an after-life limbo place called Port Haven. Dead people arrive on boats and stay until they are forgotten. Then they move on to eternal peace. Back in the real world, his twin Matt has discovered a file on Denis’s death, which has caused his grief to resurface. Denis must go back and help his family move on so that Denis can move on. One chapter in and my heart was already being crushed by the sadness of it all.

As if I wasn’t suffering enough, I had to deal with paragraphs like this in chapter 2. “You keep show more forgetting and forgetting until your whole self fades peacefully, like mist in the sun. Unless you try not to leave, or you remember too much, or you visit the living too often. Then you get ripped away from here. And it hurts. They scream, those souls do, who remain too long. You feel them getting pulled apart. Ripped right down the center.”

Slow. Exhale. I feel the knot in my stomach returning just thinking about it. This kind of language is standard fare for the entire book. I was literally a mess. This is not for the middle grade faint of heart. Trust me on this. What you’ll be dealing with is a 7-year-old lifeless body propped up against the Georgia monument at the Gettysburg Battlefield Park. Not kidding. You’ll also have to deal with Denis retracing his steps back from where he was found, to where he was kidnapped, to where he died. He has forgotten all of it. Now he must relive it, so his family will know what happened to him and have peace.

I have left out mega amounts of detail, but here are my final thoughts. The plot is amazing, like branches of a tree converging at the trunk. No linear garbage here. The details are deep. Every character is developed down to their toenails. The prose will leave you staring with your mouth open. I don’t know where this Tony Abbott came from, but he needs to get the Newbery medal today. There is, and will be, no competition. show less

Denis, who died five years ago, can be found in Port Haven, a place where souls wait to be scrubbed clean of all their earthly memories. If someone on Earth still remembers the dead person, it takes longer for their soul to become clean. No soul can move on until he or she is completely forgotten on Earth. During the five years since Denis’s death, Matthew, Denis’ twin, thinks about Denis so much, that Denis keeps growing. And lately, Matthew’s thoughts have been like thunderous static in Denis’ mind. Seeing no other way to get rid of the noise, Denis goes through “the razor” and returns to earth, but his plans of returning quickly to Port Haven, becoming completely clean, and moving on to his eternal rest are thwarted. show more Instead, Denis begins helping his brother find out what really happened when seven-year old Denis disappeared from an amusement park and ended up dead. Denis knows that a soul that spends too much time on earth can be eternally stuck, but he, also, realizes that he needs to help solve his murder in order to save his family that is being torn apart by grief. As Matt, Denis, their dad, and Matt’s friend, Trey, reenact the events that they do know, Denis begins remembering what happened- like how he didn’t just disappear but was kidnapped. And, he begins to understand how the seemingly disparate things that his great-grandmother, GeeGee, told him while they were together in Port Haven actually relate to his disappearance and death. Many of his family’s questions begin to find answers. How did Denis die? How did his body get to the Georgia monument at Gettysburg? And why did his kidnappers choose this as his final resting place?
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com show less

I really like different looks at the afterlife that don't rely on Biblical mythology and when you thrown in a good murder-mystery, this book didn't disappoint.
The book opens up with Denis talking about how he died (murdered at age 7 and left to be found at the base of a statue in Gettysburg) and how he "lives" now in the Port Haven, basically Heaven but where everyone has a home and people arrive on different types of boats. He spends his days with a variety of characters, most notably his great-grandmother (Gee Gee) and an author that catalogues everyone he meets in Port Haven, on the beach watching the boats come in and playing cards. The longer you're in Port Haven, the less you remember about your life but starting from your death show more backwards, as a way to find peace and "go clean" before you leave (ascend?) for the next place (this isn't explained because Denis wouldn't know but reincarnation isn't mentioned). There are ways to look in on your living relatives, either through a well/looking glass that just shows you what's happening or you can go through The Razor (which is both literal and figurative as Denis explains it) to actually haunt them in real-time. After Denis looks in and sees that his twin brother is having a really hard time (it's 5 years since Denis' murder), Denis decides to endure The Razor and help Matt forget him so Denis himself can "go clean" and move on too. However, it's not as easy as he thinks.

This reminded me of both [b:Elsewhere|359410|Elsewhere|Gabrielle Zevin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442686280l/359410._SX50_.jpg|349532] and [b:The Lovely Bones|12232938|The Lovely Bones|Alice Sebold|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1457810586l/12232938._SY75_.jpg|1145090] but for younger readers. The murder is solved at the end and you get a pretty satisfying resolution, though it's a bit open-ended since Denis is still dead and must return to Port Haven. The only issue is that both Matt and Denis speak more like adults so you tend to forget they're only 7-12 years old - they could have easily been 16-18 or older, though maybe the matured a little faster because of how their life ended up going. Overall, I really recommend and I plan on looking into the author's other non-serial books. show less

“The purpose of death, as you know, is to become clean. As clean as clear glass.”

And that starts in Port Haven, for Denis Egan, the place where souls go. Denis was seven years old when he was murdered, five years ago. And now he is “haunted” by his twin brother Matt, who is still alive. Together, they decide to find out what actually happened to Denis, and who was responsible for his death.

This book was recommended by my 13 year old daughter, and she was right! It's a touching story about brothers, families, and the afterlife. Even though it is written for the middle school crowd, I found it to be a good, and quick, read for an adult! Good choice Georgia!

I was really liking this book although wondering if the story of a kidnapped & murdered child (7 year old now 12) haunting his twin brother is too dark for most kids. But I feel disappointed in the resolution. I was very onboard as the mystery of Denis's disappearance was being told but then the end wrapped up in a bit too neat of a package for my taste & it all became too unbelievable.

I think the silences & pain between the parents & the surviving son were very well portrayed & I LOVED that there is a character Trey who is never gendered in the whole book ... but I wish the plot had been more daring to the end.

I was really liking this book although wondering if the story of a kidnapped & murdered child (7 year old now 12) haunting his twin brother is too dark for most kids. But I feel disappointed in the resolution. I was very onboard as the mystery of Denis's disappearance was being told but then the end wrapped up in a bit too neat of a package for my taste & it all became too unbelievable.

I think the silences & pain between the parents & the surviving son were very well portrayed & I LOVED that there is a character Trey who is never gendered in the whole book ... but I wish the plot had been more daring to the end.

dnf August 2024 when I learned that a seven year old child had been murdered and this book is about solving mystery behind it.... I ask you, does that cover lead you to believe it's going to be like that?