Atticus Lish’s novel Preparation for the Next Life tells the stories of Skinner, an Iraq war veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and Zou Lei, an undocumented immigrant from Central Asia, and how their unlikely love changes them both forever. Preparation for the Next Life explores the challenges that undocumented immigrants and war veterans face in the United States as well as the complexities of cross-cultural relationships. The novel has been highly praised by critics and readers alike and has won several awards, including the PEN/Faulkner Award in Fiction in 2015. Preparation for the Next Life was published in 2014 by Tyrant Books.

This study guide refers to the paperback fourth edition of the novel that was republished in 2015.

Content Warning: This novel includes depictions of racism, sexual violence, suicide, abuse, substance abuse, incarceration, discrimination against the unhoused and undocumented immigrants, mental illness, the mistreatment of sex workers, body shaming, and Islamophobia.

Plot Summary

Atticus Lish’s award-winning novel Preparation for the Next Life follows two young adults who form an unlikely relationship based on the promise to help each other. Zou Lei is a young undocumented immigrant from a part of northern Afghanistan that is occupied by the Chinese. Zou Lei’s immigration status makes it extremely difficult for her to find work. After spending three months incarcerated under the Patriot Act, Zou Lei finds herself on the streets of New York City, terrified of getting deported and slowly losing her hope in the American Dream.

Zou Lei meets a young man named Skinner, who has just returned from his third tour in Iraq and has severe PTSD symptoms. Skinner’s severe anxiety, depression, nightmares, and hallucinations cause him much distress, and he treats these symptoms with alcohol and various medications given to him by the VA. Skinner rents a room in the basement of a home owned by Mrs. Murphy. Skinner and Zou Lei form an immediate and genuine connection, and they begin dating quickly. As their relationship progresses, Skinner and Zou Lei promise to help each other with their mutual problems: Skinner will ensure that Zou Lei does not get deported and Zou Lei will help Skinner treat his mental illness. Despite their good intentions, Skinner’s PTSD symptoms continue to worsen, putting strain on their relationship.

Mrs. Murphy’s son Jimmy, an ex-convict and white supremacist, is released from prison after spending over 10 years incarcerated. Jimmy returns to Mrs. Murphy’s home to stay and work with his abusive stepfather Patrick. Jimmy is prone to violence and sexual assault. He rapes and kills a Chinese sex worker, and rather than feeling remorse for his actions, he blames the Chinese community for the violence they face. Jimmy maintains his white supremacist beliefs after his time in prison. He believes that he should not have been released from prison, and he has a difficult time adjusting back to normal life.

As the three characters’ lives begin to intertwine, things become more complicated. Skinner’s mental health sharply declines, causing him to lash out at everyone, including Zou Lei. Upon learning that Zou Lei is an undocumented immigrant, Skinner promises to marry her so she can get her green card, but her lack of proper identification complicates everything and puts her at risk of ending up stuck in China. Zou Lei continues to lose hours at work to a young man with a poor attitude, but she can do nothing about it as she is not legally authorized to work in the United States. One day, in search of work, Zou Lei meets a Muslim man from a region close to where Zou Lei grew up. He introduces her to his wife, who takes her to a nearby mosque and gives her plenty of food and water. After the service, the Mullah advises Zou Lei that everything she does from now on should be in “preparation for the next life.”

Jimmy and Skinner do not get along from the moment that they meet. Skinner believes that Jimmy is sneaking into his room in the basement and stealing things; this escalates Skinner’s PTSD symptoms and makes it difficult for him to relax at home. Skinner is determined to stay strong despite his worsening mental health. However, one day he leaves Zou Lei in his room to go to the gym and returns home to find his room askew and all of Zou Lei’s belongings abandoned. He immediately confronts Jimmy, and the pair begin to attack each other. Mrs. Murphy calls the police, and Skinner is arrested. Skinner insists that Jimmy should be the one arrested as he believes that Jimmy killed Zou Lei. Skinner is eventually released from police custody with a court date after they learn that he is a war veteran. Zou Lei, however, is not dead. Jimmy had broken into Skinner’s room and attempted to rape her, but she was able to escape. She ran as far as she could from the Murphy home.

Skinner returns to the Murphys’ home and finds all his things in the trash bin in front of the house. There, he finds his gun and decides to confront Jimmy about what he did to Zou Lei. Jimmy denies doing anything to Zou Lei, but Skinner does not believe him and shoots him in the head, killing him. Skinner then runs to an alley nearby and thinks about what remains of his life. Believing that he can do nothing but destroy everything in his life, he ends his life by shooting himself.

Zou Lei eventually returns to the Murphy home, looking for Skinner, and finds her belongings in the trash bin in front of the house. Zou Lei asks Jimmy’s sister Erin what happened to Skinner, and she claims not to know. Zou Lei, knowing that something has happened to Skinner, takes their items and leaves. She uses Skinner’s money to start a new life in Phoenix, Arizona. She is grateful to Skinner for the opportunities and the strength that she has been given from him.