Me, My Book and the Couch: TLC Book Tour: Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton

Lupton's second novel about a mother and daughter injured in a school fire.

Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton

The school is on fire. Her children are inside.

Grace runs toward the burning building, desperate to reach them.

In the aftermath of the devastating fire which tears her family apart, Grace embarks on a mission to find the person responsible and protect her children from further harm. This fire was not an accident, and her daughter Jenny may still be in grave danger. Grace is the only one who can discover the culprit, and she will do whatever it takes to save her family and find out who committed the crime that rocked their lives. While unearthing truths about her life that may help her find answers, Grace learns more about everyone around her — and finds she has courage she never knew she possessed.

Powerful and beautiful, with a riveting story and Lupton’s trademark elegant style that made Sister such a sweeping success, Afterwards explores the depths of a mother’s unswerving love.

My thoughts:
Last year it seemed as though Sister by Rosamund Lupton was on everyone's reading list, but mine. I read glowing reviews and several people recommended it to me, however I did not get the chance to read it. So when the opportunity to review Afterwards came about, I immediately jumped at the chance. And I'm so glad that I did.

Grace is volunteering at her son's sports day at school. Jenny is also there to assist with any medical injuries. What should have been a fun, carefree day ends in tragedy with the school fire. Jenny is inside the building and when Grace realizes this, she runs in to try to save her. Both mother and daughter are caught in the fire and receive extensive injuries.

As Grace's husband and son try to cope with the aftermath, the reader learns Grace and Jenny are now spirits and can only communicate with each other. I admit it took almost six chapters for me to get comfortable with this. I wasn't quite sure how this occurred and I needed to have this question answered! I just decided to let it go and focus on who started the fire and why.

For someone who enjoys a good "whodunit", Afterwards was a change for me. It definitely fit the twisty plot, fast-paced mold, but the character development was what hooked me to the story. The reader learned intimate details about Grace and her family and the secondary characters as Grace narrates the story. Flashbacks were used to add more depth and understanding about Grace's love for her children and husband.

Lupton definitely can tell a story! Her descriptions were so vivid, so real that I had no difficulty picturing each scene in my mind. When the mystery is finally solved, I did not suspect this person. At. All.

Afterwards is a fascinating study about a mother's love for her family. What a mother is willing to sacrifice for the sake of her children. Do yourself a favor, pick this one up. As for me, I'm adding Sister to my "must read" list for 2012!

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Book Details:

ISBN: 9780307716546

Pub. Date: April 24, 2012

Publisher: Crown

Pages: 400

Genre: Literary Fiction, Mystery

Source: TLC Book Tours

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