The World After Alice

A Novel

By: Lauren Aliza Green

Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik

“The World After Alice is a lovely debut novel that glimmers with fine writing and notes of human insight. There's a quiet beauty to Lauren Aliza Green's work, and I am now a fan.”—Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful

“A page-turner of a family drama. The World After Alice is at turns brutally honest, funny, and deeply empathic.”—Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake

Named One of Forbes’s 2024 30 Under 30 in Media

For fans of Seating Arrangements and The Most Fun We Ever Had, a gorgeous and gripping story of two families brought together to celebrate an unexpected marriage, twelve years after a devastating tragedy upended their lives

When Morgan and Benji surprise their families with a wedding invitation to Maine, they’re aware the news of their clandestine relationship will come as a shock. Twelve years have passed since the stunning loss of sixteen-year-old Alice, Benji’s sister and Morgan’s best friend, and no one is quite the same. But the young couple decide to plunge headlong into matrimony, marking the first time their fractured families will reunite since Alice’s funeral.

As the arriving guests descend upon the tranquil coastal town, they bring with them not only skepticism about the impromptu nuptials but also deep-seated secrets and agendas of their own. Peter, Morgan’s father, may be trying to dissuade his daughter from saying “I do,” while Linnie, Benji’s mother, introduces a boyfriend who bears a tumultuous past of his own. Nick, Benji’s father, is scheming to secure a new job before his wife—formerly his mistress—discovers he’s lost his old one. Morgan, too, carries delicate secrets that threaten to jeopardize the happiness for which she has so longed. And as for Benji—well, he’s just trying to make sure the whole weekend doesn’t implode.

As the whirlwind weekend unfolds, old passions reignite, deep wounds resurface, and unearthed secrets threaten to shatter the fragile peace the wedding promises. With each new revelation, the to-be-weds and their complicated families are forced to question just how well they know the ones they hold dear.

©2024 Lauren Aliza Green (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“In Lauren Aliza Green's debut novel, Brooklynites Morgan and Benjamin surprise their families with the news they're getting married—and soon gather everyone in Maine for the nuptials. There's history between their families: 12 years ago, Benjamin's sister Alice, who was also Morgan's best friend, jumped off a bridge and her body was never found. That past timeline is intertwined with the present of their marriage, and the fraught relationships between the families come to the fore as they navigate the lasting grief and bitterly held secrets.”—Town & Country’s “39 Must-Read Books of Summer 2024”

“The World After Alice is a lovely debut novel that glimmers with fine writing and notes of human insight. There's a quiet beauty to Lauren Aliza Green's work, and I am now a fan.”—Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful

“The World After Alice is a study of grief, resilience, and surprising joy in the face of incomprehensible loss. I know these characters will stay with me.”—Mary Beth Keane, New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes and The Half Moon

Beautiful and thought-provoking

I really enjoyed this listen. I couldn’t put it down! The narrator does a great job of making the world come to life. The language is beautiful and the story both haunting and engaging. Will be looking for more from this author.

Overuse of imagery

The story was kind of blah, and the overuse of imagery was so annoying. If I heard one more metaphor, I was ready to stop listening to the book.

The vocabulary was uninteresting, the plot was less than creative.

There was too much “filler” in the plot, not enough creative movement. The dialogue was tedious.