When Caroline's brother is kidnapped, his rescue effort reveals he was not the only victim. Ethan, now a teenager, has been living with the man who captured both boys for several years now.
When Caroline's little brother is kidnapper, his rescue leads to the discovery of Ethan, a teenage who has lived with the kidnapper since he was a young child himself. In the aftermath, Caroline can't help but wonder what Ethan knows about everything that happened to her brother, who is not readjusting to life at home.
When Caroline's autistic little brother, Dylan, is rescued from a kidnapper after a few days, the police also find, Ethan, a teen who has been held captive for four years. Now that both of them are back, and in the same neighborhood, both families are dealing with the new changes.
In a book whose plot could have been ripped for newspaper headlines, this story is at heart one of healing, forgiveness, and understanding. Eleven-year-old Dylan Anderson, who is on the autism spectrum, is kidnapped, which sets off a huge rescue effort.
AFTERWARD focuses strongly on the aftermath of trauma & takes a tender insight into two families trying to put the pieces back together after the unthinkable happens. Ethan & Dylan were abducted as kids (Ethan for 4 years; Dylan for several days) & after being found must return back to their prior lives.
Four years ago, Ethan was kidnapped. Several days ago, the man who took Ethan also kidnapped Dylan, an autistic boy.
I loved this book - my review will follow shortly.
As a rule, I don't read books that are about or contain child abuse, especially child molestation or rape. I've learned that the negative and long-lasting consequences on my mental health are not a reasonable cost for an otherwise good read.
This review can also be found on A Thousand Lives Lived, check it out for more!
Afterward by Jennifer Mathieu is a story I am so grateful to have finally read.
*Physical ARC kindly provided by Macmillan*
This was a wonderful book. I'm especially happy with how therapy-positive this book was, and how Jennifer Mathieu showed Ethan's PTSD and healing process.
Meh. I was highly underwhelmed by Afterward despite its intriguing premise.
BEST BOOK EVERRRRRRR
REVIEW TO COME.
This is a well written and thought provoking read with well developed characters. The author pulls you into the story line and I often found it hard to put this book down.
Another Firstread win for me. An excellent story about the aftermath of 2 boys that were kidnapped and returned to their families.
One moment, Caroline is watching her autistic younger brother, and the next, the worst possible thing occurs: Dylan is kidnapped. But when Dylan is found, so is Ethan, the boy who was kidnapped nearly four years earlier.
