A stunning, heartbreaking debut novel about grief, love, and family, perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson and Celeste Ng

THE ASTONISHING COLOR OF AFTER
by Emily X.R. Pan
Little Brown for Young Readers, March 2018

Leigh Chen Sanders is absolutely certain about one thing: When her mother died by suicide, she turned into a bird. Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, travels to Taiwan to stay with her maternal grandparents who she has never met. There, she is determined to find her mother, the bird. As Leigh grieves, she uncovers family secrets, forges a new relationship with her grandparents, and tries to reconcile the fact that on the same day she kissed her best friend and longtime secret crush, Axel, her mother was taking her own life.
Alternating between contemporary and magical elements, past and present, romance and despair, THE ASTONISHING COLOR OF AFTER is a novel about finding oneself through family history, art, friendship, and love.

With lyrical prose in the vein of Laini Taylor, and an innovative structure reminiscent of A. S. King, Emily X.R. Pan’s luminous debut novel THE ASTONISHING COLOR OF AFTER is poised for literary appeal and commercial success. The book is an ABA Indies Introduce pick for Winter 2018.