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A Novel
by Jennifer Yu
Jennifer Yu's Grief in the Fourth Dimension is a moving and unique speculative YA novel about the afterlife and the unexpected connections that can be made in death.
In life, high school classmates Caroline Davison and Kenny Zhou existed in separate universes—Caroline in one of softball practices and family dinners; Kenny in one of NASA photo books and late-night shifts at his parents' Chinese restaurant. But after their deaths, they find themselves thrown together as roommates in a mysterious white room—one that seems to exist outside of time and space, shows them their loved ones' lives on a large hi-def TV, and grants their wishes with a sardonic sense of humor.
As Caroline and Kenny watch life continue to unfold back on Earth, they realize they can influence events through radio signals, psychic mediums, and electromagnetic interference. In their efforts to console their families, they also start to understand the tragic depth of how their lives and deaths were connected and how to help their families—and themselves—heal from the losses.
"[R]ichly rendered... Yu's prose sings with lush and powerful empathy and makes good on the novel's wild premise by blending humor and pathos with fantastical worldbuilding and genuine emotional stakes." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Yu addresses complicated, uncomfortable themes around race, privilege, and power, though at times the portrayal of some characters, such as Caroline's mother, feels lacking in nuance. But the conceit is a perennially popular one, the plot is absorbing, and the measured tone is effective. A quietly moving tale that asks how privilege might affect the search for closure in the wake of tragedy." —Kirkus Reviews
"Kudos to Yu, who has beautifully crafted an original, highly imaginative story, complete with intriguing imponderables that will capture readers' imaginations." —Booklist
This information about Grief in the Fourth Dimension was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jennifer Yu is the author of Four Weeks, Five People, and Imagine Us Happy. When not writing, you can find her weeping intermittently about the Boston Celtics, photos of the Earth from outer space, and the etymology of the word disaster. She has lived in Kansas, Boston, and Los Angeles, though these days she is mostly living out of her 2018 Toyota Corolla LE as she hikes her way across the Mountain West.
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