WHY: Julia Alvarez, based in Vermont, is that rare author who can launch a novel with a chapter written as poetry, drawing the reader into her character’s thoughts and never letting go in the narrative. Contending with grief, purpose, and sisterhood, 2020?s Afterlife also explores expectations society has of a Latina. (Lisa Button) WHAT: Antonia, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic living in Vermont, continues a dialogue with her husband, despite his death of a brain aneurysm. He’s still teasing out the best in her as she grapples with her sister’s disappearance and helping a pregnant, undocumented immigrant. 2. “Stay...