Grief in the Fourth Dimension

Starred review from April 29, 2024
This richly rendered speculative novel by Yu (Imagine Us Happy) follows deceased high school seniors Kenny Zhou and
Caroline Davison, who find themselves in pseudo-purgatory, a stark-white room outfitted with a television that shows them what’s happening to their loved ones back in the land of the living. A mysterious entity seemingly able to read their thoughts sends them notes commenting on the scenarios playing out on screen, and the teens soon realize that they can influence situations occurring in the real world in small, surreptitious ways. They resolve to help each other accomplish personal goals: Kenny will save his family’s struggling restaurant and Caroline will assist her family in finding justice and closure regarding the circumstances of her death. As the duo watch the events unfold, they learn more about their own hidden connections and come to terms with the impact that their deaths have on their communities. 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. Caroline reads as white; Kenny is of Chinese descent. Ages 14–up.