8 Novels About Heaven, Hell, & The Afterlife
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Most novels focus on the world we currently live in and experience now. But a few novels have explored not just this life, but the one that comes next. Despite no living person knowing what happens after we die, the afterlife is a subject that seems to interest everyone who has ever lived, a subject that has been debated and pondered by religious and non-religious alike for centuries.
And one of the ways humans best explore big and unknown questions is through the art of storytelling. Below is a list of books that each have their own take on what life after death might look like.
01 | The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis
Lewis’ The Great Divorce is a tale about a bus that takes its riders from hell to heaven. In classic Lewis fashion, this wonderful book is packed with nuggets of wisdom about grace, redemption, judgment, good, and evil while remaining digestible and straightforward. This is a book you’ll find yourself returning to.
02 | The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Nora Seed feels like she’s wasted her life, fumbled every opportunity—so much that one night, she decides to take her own life. Upon attempting to do so, she finds herself in a library, where every book on its shelves is a difficult life she could’ve led, had she made a difference choice somewhere along the way. As Nora embarks on trying different lives on for size, she learns something incredibly important about the one she just tried to end.
03 | Between Heaven and Hell by Peter Kreeft
C. S. Lewis, Aldous Huxley, and John F. Kennedy all passed away on November 22, 1963. While they each held different beliefs, they had one thing in common: they believed that death was not the end of life. What would a conversation between the three of them have looked like? Peter Kreeft attempts to answer this question with Between Heaven and Hell, exploring the biggest questions of life: is there any meaning to life? Can we prove that Jesus was God? What do we know about life after death?
04 | The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Eddie’s days are monotonous and feel meaningless—like he’s stuck in a rut. After he dies on his 83rd birthday, he wakes up in heaven… but it doesn’t look they way he’d always expected. Instead, he is met with five people that “explain” the life he led on earth to him. This beautiful, unique tale tackles weighty themes like redemption and the meaning of the lives we lead.
05 | The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Fourteen-year-old Susie Salmon tragically goes missing in 1973; her family doesn’t know it, but a man in their neighborhood lured her into his “clubhouse” before murdering her. The story unfolds from Susie’s point of view (in the afterlife) as she watches her family struggle with her disappearance, grow older, and find their footing after suffering such a tragedy. This national bestseller will stay with you long after you first read it.
06 | Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw
Inspired by the Don Juan theme and Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Shaw’s four-act dramatic play outlines “his belief in the conflict between man as a spiritual director and woman as the guardian of the biological continuity of the human race.” An intriguing philosophical comedy, Man and Superman is well-worth the read.
07 | New Town by Harry Blamires
Bernard falls asleep one day and is thought to be dead, until suddenly, he wakes up on an unfamiliar street, waiting for a mysterious bus in rundown Old Town—a town that is obviously not heaven. After learning about a beautiful place called New Town, Bernard is desperate to find his way there. Along the way, he learns new truths about God. This imaginative story will keep you invested from start to finish.
08 | Layoverland by Gabby Noone
When Bea wakes up from a fatal car crash on a plane going to a mystery destination, she’s confused—until she learns she’s in purgatory, and if she ever hopes to catch a flight to heaven, she has to help 5,000 still-living people better their lives. The only problem? She’s expected to help Caleb, the person who caused her fatal accident. Over time, though, she begins to develop feelings for him that you wouldn’t expect. This funny, dark, touching tale will prove an entertaining way to explore the afterlife.