summary: After Lives by Megan Marshall explores her own history and the craft of storytelling.

After Lives: On Biography and the Mysteries of the Human Heart by Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Megan Marshall is a slim yet profound collection of six essays. Published in 2025, it marks a shift for Marshall, who is known for her deep dives into historical figures like Margaret Fuller and the Peabody sisters. In this volume, she turns her “biographer’s lens” inward to explore her own history and the craft of storytelling.

The book is highly relevant to contemporary readers interested in the nature of memory, the ethics of biography, and the “invisible” lives of women.

Interdisciplinary Insight: It bridges the gap between memoir and biography, showing how a researcher’s own life experiences inevitably color how they interpret others.

Feminist History: Marshall explores the “stifled” lives of women in her own family—specifically her mother and grandmother—paralleling the struggles of the historical female intellectuals she has spent her career documenting.

Grief and Mortality: Written partly during the COVID-19 pandemic and following the death of her partner, the book offers a timely meditation on loss and how we “survive in a husk of a world.”

The Biographer’s Process: It provides a “behind-the-scenes” look at the obsession and detective work involved in archival research, making it a valuable text for writers and historians.

Strong Points

The book has been praised for its intimacy, elegance, and unique structure.

Masterful Prose: Marshall’s writing is frequently described as “finely wrought,” “fluid,” and “luminous,” turning even mundane family artifacts into poetic symbols.

Creative Structuring: The essays weave together disparate threads—such as a 12th-century Japanese hermit, a high school classmate involved in a Black Power shootout, and the disinterment of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s wife—with surprising cohesion.

Emotional Vulnerability: Unlike her previous scholarly works, Marshall allows herself to be the subject. She candidly discusses her father’s mental illness, her partner’s death, and the “left-handed” struggle of women forced to set aside their art for family.

Lack of “Navel-Gazing”: Reviewers note that while it is a memoir, Marshall avoids self-indulgence. She remains an “observer-in-chief,” using her own life to illuminate broader human mysteries rather than just her own ego.

Weak Points

Critics and readers have noted a few areas where the book’s unconventional style may not appeal to everyone.

Fragmented Nature: Because it consists of six loosely related essays rather than a linear narrative, some readers may find the transitions jarring or the overall structure “irregular.”

Brevity: At under 200 pages, the book is considered “miniature.” Some readers might wish for a deeper, more sustained exploration of certain chapters, such as her time in Kyoto or her high school years in Pasadena.

Niche Appeal: The book’s heavy focus on the process of biography and archival research may be less engaging for those looking for a traditional, fast-paced memoir.

Tangential Storytelling: Marshall often uses a “tangential” approach—sneaking major life events into stories about other subjects—which can occasionally leave the reader feeling like they are catching glimpses of the “core” story rather than seeing it fully.