Life After Life: A Novel Summary
Jill McCorkle

Life After Life: A Novel Overview

Life After Life is the story of the residents at a nursing home called Pine Haven in Fulton, North Carolina and the relationships they have with family and friends during their senior years. The story is led by Joanna Lamb, a woman who runs a hot dog business and also works in the hospice area of Pine Haven. Joanna has had a colorful past and returned to her hometown prior to her father's death and she stayed to help hospice patients make their final transitions. Joanna also keeps a journal in which she tells about the people she has helped in order to keep their memories alive for her. Joanna also helps those who need help living too, such as the young woman named C.J. who tries to make a better life for her baby than the one left to her by her suicidal mother. The nursing home's most lovable resident, Sadie, also helps people manage their lives with her loving attitude and caring demeanor. Other characters include an attorney with flawed relationships with his sons, a woman attorney who has left Boston to be close to the man she loved even though he is now dead. They all have reached a point in their lives when they think about not having much time left and they try to make an impact on how they will be remembered, their life after life.