I listened to the audiobook of AfterMath by Emily Barth Isler and was utterly surprised to find out later that the book’s narrated by her too!! It’s a beautiful, yet heart-breaking that the same time. We have all heard about the countless school shootings in USA and that’s something so appalling that I could never understand why no gun control measures were ever passed. And I was looking for a read that could give me more than the CNN news stories do. And AfterMath, a middle grade book, being based on a school shooting was just perfect for me. This MG literally amazed me, the narration, storyline, character development was flawless.
***Right from the beginning I would like to give you trigger warnings for this book, the story deals with a lot of traumatic issues like school shooting, violence, suicide etc. So please know that before diving into this book!!
Lucy, a twelve year old, has recently lost her brother to a heart defect which he was born with. After Theo’s death, Lucy and her parents move to another place for a fresh start. But when Lucy join her new school she finds out on the first day itself that everyone there was a survivor of a school shooting four years ago. I cried while listening to the kids talk about the shooting in the book, it was shattering to know that there are kids who are dealing with this as I read this book. It’s a burden they’ll bear for the rest of their lives, the loss of a friend, a brother, a sister, a child.
Every chapter was beautifully written and I was lost in the book till the last word. In the book, Lucy’s character is one which I’ll cherish knowing for the rest of my life. And it’s not only Lucy, Avery”s character was another aspect of the story which wouldn’t ever let me go. After reading this book, I’ve simply fallen in love with the author!
Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook! I am so thankful for it.
THE BOOKISH LAWYER 