Books Like The Lovely Bones Narrated From the Other Side
A voice speaking from after. The form is hard to do without sentimentality — these are the ones that hold.
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1. Lincoln in the Bardo
by George Saunders
A graveyard chorus around a president's dead son. Formally the boldest here.
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2. When Darkness Blooms On this site
by Simran Mehta
Two souls wake in a fog-covered town with no names and no memory of dying, drawn together by a bond neither can explain.
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3. Elsewhere
by Gabrielle Zevin
An afterlife where you age backwards. Gentler, and very good on grief.
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4. The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
Narrated by Death, who turns out to be tired and kind.
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5. A Monster Calls
by Patrick Ness
Short, and the ending is the most honest thing on this page about anticipatory grief.