Next Stop: The Afterlife

Karen Estep reviews a new book from author, professor, and C.S. Lewis enthusiast Andrew Swafford. 

Next Stop: The Afterlife

By Andrew Swafford

Published by Ave Maria Press

The Great Divorce

Life is a pilgrimage to the heart of the Father.

In a book that is focused on what happens in the afterlife, that quote seems like a funny way to start this review. However, it is exactly this quote that helps us to understand that how we live our life here on Earth will shape our life in the afterlife. This quote, among others, is one of my favorite quotes in the new book from Andrew Swafford, Next Stop: The Afterlife: Unveiling the Truth of Heaven and Hell with C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce. Swafford’s book is a compilation of quick and insight summaries of scenes from The Great Divorce with beautifully written commentary and reflection notes.

At first I was a bit worried about picking up this book. I have never read The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. However, I am becoming more of a lover of Lewis’s literary work, meant for a more mature audience than his children’s series most people are familiar with. The older I get, the more I come to the realization that Lewis’s works are truly timeless and can be read as reflections on our modern times even though written post-World War II. My worries were for nought, though, because Swafford does a great job at explaining characters, scenes, and helps guide readers to the core of the meanings C.S. Lewis was trying to convey. At first while reading I did think it would be easier to understand if I had read The Great Divorce, but as Swafford’s reflections deepen, I believe this book becomes less about The Great Divorce and more about a reflection on our lives today.

Swafford’s Writing Style

Swafford’s writing is a bit professorial, in the best way I can describe it. In the introduction he mentions that he used Lewis’s The Great Divorce in one of his classes at Benedictine. Swafford leaves each chapter with reflections and takeaways that help guide the reader into digging deeper into the text and how it applies to our own lives. He gently guides the reader much like I imagine he does with his students as well.

My favorite chapter of the book is chapter 7, entitled “Needy love and Gift Love.” If you have read any of my previous book reviews, you will know that I am fond of marking my favorite pages with sticky notes. Well, chapter 7 is only 7 pages long and has 4 different pages marked with sticky notes. Swafford breaks down the differences in love and not just in what Christians typically think of the different kinds of love such as philia or agape, but what love truly is: Love is truly wanting the good for other people. 

I especially liked Swafford’s comments on virtuous friendship.

Virtuous friendship is "complete" friendship because it subsumes the other two. We should enjoy being around our virtuous friends, and they are useful in the most profound sense as partners in pursuit of the ultimate good.

These resonated with me because as a mom I want to model virtuous friendships for my children so that they can grow with virtuous friendships as well. We all know that our children' s friends can have more sway in our children’s lives than we do as their parents.

Who Is This Book For?

Here are some great ways to gift this book with all of the spring occasions coming up:

● College graduation: This book would be great for a new college graduate. There are so many life lessons to be learned with keeping our afterlife in mind that a student embarking on a new era of their life will need.

● Mother’s Day: I would have loved this book for Mother’s Day. This with a gift card to a local coffee shop and the afternoon off to drink coffee/tea/lemonade and enjoy uninterrupted reading time: chef’s kiss!

● Father’s Day: I think that unintentionally Swafford’s style of writing leans more masculine. Also, for men like my husband that do not necessarily love reading longer books, this one is short, just under 100 pages but packs a lot of great information into it.

● Small group study: With the shorter chapters and deeper dives into life lessons this book would be great for a small group at your parish to read together.

The Journey Home

Our life truly is a journey and hopefully our journey is always leading us home to the Father. “We are stewards of our lives, not owners,” is another great quote from this book. Next Stop: The Afterlife is a book to read to remind ourselves that our journey to God means total surrender of our lives, our attachments, even our loves, and that God will be with us all along the way. Our life and how we use our stewardship for God will help prepare us for the afterlife and truly living in God’s great glory.

Is this a book you'd like to read? Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2026 Karen Estep
Images: Canva
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