Afterwards
Rosamund Lupton, 2012
Crown Publishing
415 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780307716552
Summary
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. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—1964
• Rasied—Little Chesterford in Essex, England, UK
• Education—B.A., Cambridge University
• Awards—New Writers' Award (Carton Television)
• Currently—lives in London, England
Rosamund Lupton is a British author of three novels—Sister (2010), Afterwards (2012), and The Quality of Silence (2016). She studied literature at Cambridge University and lives in London with her husband and two children.
In her first novel, Sister, she tells the story of Beatrice, living in New York, in search for Tess, her missing sister, who lives in London. Sister was a great commercial success, selling well over a million copies worldwide. It has been translated in 30 languages, and it was a best-seller on the New York Times and London's Sunday Times lists.
Her second novel Afterwards was awarded "best mystery books of 2012" by the Seattle Times, and "best book of 2012" by Amazon USA.
Her third novel, The Quality of Silence, follows an astrophysicist and her deaf daughter through the Alaskan wilderness in search of their husband/father. It was optioned by FilmNation in March 2016.
Before turning to novels, Lupton was a script-writer for television and film, writing original screenplays. She won Carlton Television's new writers' competition. (Adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 3/24/2016.)
Book Reviews
Readers...will be equally smitten with Afterwards, as much an homage to the mother-daughter relationship as it is a crime novel.... There are so many twists, turns and heartbreaks in this tragic, tense novel.
USA Today
Lupton takes her readers on a totally harrowing ride as she melds a suspenseful procedure with an emotionally fraught drama. Within a taut and sinuous narrative, heartbreak over a broken family vies with fear that the arsonist will return.... Masterful pacing and a highly charged atmosphere combine to make this an exceptionally gripping read.
Seattle Times
A blaze at a suburban London school takes on sinister overtones in Lupton’s superb follow-up to Sister (2010).... The uncommon but convincing narrative technique, adroit twists, and memorable characters combine to provide a wise and poignant portrait of a family confronted with malice and heartbreaking decisions.
Publishers Weekly
Like Lupton's acclaimed debut, Sister, her sophomore effort is a wonderful mix of smart thriller with tear-provoking literature.... Lupton has written a riveting story that will resonate with readers long after they have turned the last page. —Marianne Fitzgerald, Anne Arundel Cty. Sch., Annapolis, MD
Library Journal
Lupton takes her readers on a totally harrowing ride as she melds a suspenseful procedure with an emotionally fraught drama. Within a taut and sinuous narrative, heartbreak over a broken family vies with fear that the arsonist will return.... Masterful pacing and a highly charged atmosphere combine to make this an exceptionally gripping read.
Booklist
No one is above suspicion when a cozy scenario of suburban family accord morphs into a full-throttle psychological thriller, ring-fenced by a mother's love. Happy middle-class facades crumble and suspects multiply like flu germs.... The sinuous chain of plot twists reaches right to the story's literally heart-rending conclusion.... [T]his compulsive read confirms Lupton's instinctive commercial flair.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. The fact that Grace and Jenny exist as spirits for much of the story is fairly unusual. Did you manage to suspend your disbelief enough for their state to feel convincing?
2. There are certain themes that seem to interest the author. Can you comment on these?
3. Can you comment on Jenny and Grace’s relationship and explain how it evolves throughout the story?
4. Can you also comment on the relationship between Michael and Adam and look at how their relationship evolves?
5. Did you guess who the arsonist was? How convincing are the red herrings?
6. Discuss the main themes of the book and look at how integral they are to the plot.
7. The dynamic between Grace and Sarah is an interesting one and changes quite significantly over the course of the story. Can you talk about this?
8. What are your thoughts on the ways in which family abuse is illustrated in the story.
9. What do you think of the two mother/daughter relationships in the book?
10. What do you think of Grace and Michael’s marriage? Perhaps talk about the connection between Grace and Michael even though they cannot communicate with each other.
11. Could the story have ended in any other way?
12. What do you think of Rosamund Lupton’s use of water imagery—for example, Adam needing armbands, Jenny being alone in the ocean as she dies, and the ending?