Afterward

by Jennifer Mathieu

When eleven-year-old Dylan Anderson is kidnapped, his subsequent rescue leads to the discovery of Ethan Jorgensen, who had disappeared four years earlier, and now Dylan's sister Caroline befriends Ethan and wants to learn the truth about her autistic brother's captivity.

• ISBN13: 9781250129628
• Publish Date: 19 September 2017 (first published 20 September 2016)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 28 September 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[alisoninbookland]

Wow. Great exploration of a really messed up situation. I love Law & Order/Criminal Minds so I'm very familiar with that side of a kidnapping story. Seeing the aftermath was new and completely different. Everything felt very true to life and very messy. Highly recommended.

[girlinthepages]

I've really come to love Jennifer Mathieu's books, as she always takes a touch topic and deals with it in a "quieter" way- what I mean is her books aren't over-hyped, shout from the rooftop how special they are because they deal with a traumatic issue monstrosities. Rather I get the feeling that Mathieu writes and researches for herself and then sends her books out into the world hoping they resonate with readers. Afterward is no exception, as it tackles the topic of kidnap and abuse, alternating from two very different POVs- that of Ethan, a survivor, and Caroline, the sister of a survivor. The narrative never really has big, shocking, traumatic reveals, rather it focuses on the recovery of the victims after they've been found with glimpses into the horrors they've encountered through therapy sessions. I liked the portrayal of therapy in this book as it showcases how Ethan has to really grow to become comfortable with it, and how it's not a miraculous "quick-fix" type of solution. I also appreciated the acknowledgement of how resources for victims after encountering a trauma such as a kidnapping are not necessarily created equally, and Ethan's access to those resources is very different from Caroline's family's access. It's heartbreaking but it's realistic.

Afterward only comes in at 3 stars for me for a few reasons, the largest being that I found Caroline to be such an unlikable character. Yes, she was a huge advocate for her brother and dealt with a very dysfunctional home life, but she was so abrasive and judgemental of Ethan, especially because of the fact that his family has money (which I'm not really sure if they did by the end of the book because it's mentioned that his parents spent a TON of their personal money, including their retirement savings, on continuing the years-long search to find him. Draining your 401K is no joke.) I also wish there had been more insight into the initial kidnapping to help better explain some of the trauma Dylan and Ethan are working to overcome, though I know the book's main focus, being titled Afterward, is the aftermath of the kidnappings.

Overall: A thought-provoking, unique read, but not my favorite book by Mathieu.This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages

[Angie]

Afterward is another heavy book by this author, but once again, she ends it with a sense of hope. Four years ago, Ethan was kidnapped. Now a few days ago, Caroline's little brother is taken by the same man, but found. The police are shocked to also find Ethan alive and well (at least physically). Needless to say, his parents are delighted to have him home and do everything they can to have him settle into normal life again. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Dylan. He's autistic and can't tell his family what happened to him, so they have no clue how to help him. Caroline won't give up though, and she knows the only way to help her baby brother is to ask Ethan what went on in that apartment. Except, Ethan doesn't remember.

Aftermath had me hooked. It's not particularity fast paced or exciting but it's an interesting look into healing from trauma. Caroline doesn't intend to befriend Ethan, she just wants answers. Ethan is having trouble socializing in general, but specifically with Caroline because he feels guilty for not helping Dylan. However, Ethan is in therapy and is learning how to set boundaries with people so that he can form healthy relationships. Of course, he also has to uncover the memories of what happened to him and Dylan, which if I'm being honest, is what kept me flipping pages. I had to know what this creep did to them! I'm sure you can imagine, but having it confirmed is something else entirely.

I can't say much more about Aftermath without spoilers. It was a very interesting and intense read to me. What happened to these boys is awful, and it was interesting (yes, I keep using that word!) to see how these two different families dealt with the trauma. Ethan's family is wealthy and very close, so they go the therapy and spoiling route. Caroline's family is poor and falling apart, so it's mostly on her to help her brother cope. There's a lot going on here, but it does end on a happy note. And despite what you may assume, there is no healing by the power of love. Caroline and Ethan are just friends.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
This is my second Jennifer Mathieu book, and while I didn't love this one quite as much as Devoted (my review for that is here!), I still really enjoyed this one! Definitely solidifies the author's place on my "must read" list.

Anyway, Afterward is a dual POV story about a boy who was abducted and has now returned (Ethan) and a girl (Caroline) whose brother was also taken by Ethan's captor, In Caroline's search for clues about her brother Dylan (who has autism and is unable to relay what happened to him), her story and Ethan's collide.

These two could not be more different, basically. Ethan is all kinds of traumatized of course, but he also has a completely invested family and a team of doctors who are there to help him try to process this. I loved Ethan's doctor and the way therapy was presented. While Ethan's doctor was so, so good for him, his mother's therapist was a little more... generic in comparison, and I liked that it didn't make it seem that therapy was a cure-all, or that all therapists were as awesome as Ethan's. There was also mention of how it was easy for Ethan to have access to such services because his parents had money; while Dylan didn't have those same resources. So sad, but also so accurate, unfortunately.

Caroline on the other hand is basically Team Dylan, because her family is a mess. Caroline is so fiercely loyal and loving to Dylan, it made my heart both happy and sad at the same time. All she wanted was for Dylan to be okay, and that was the one thing that was out of her control. It broke my heart that she went through so much of this alone, without a good family system or a good friend support system.

At the start, Caroline was incredibly unlikable, but she grew a lot as the book went on. Her friendship with Ethan had lots of realistic hills and valleys, as you'd expect for two people who'd been through so much. I think Dylan's autism was well portrayed, as no two cases are identical, I think the author did a remarkable job.

I didn't quite connect to the characters as much as I'd have liked, which is really the only thing holding me back from giving this book a full five stars. Because I wasn't as connected, I didn't have as much of an emotional investment- though I still had some emotional investment, it wasn't quite as much as I was expecting. Otherwise, I thought that the pacing was awesome, and the time jumps worked really well in the story.

Bottom Line: This was incredibly readable, and shines a great light on therapy. The story of Caroline and Ethan, as well as their families, was definitely a journey I am glad I took.

*Copy provided by publisher for review

[chymerra]

https://easonjolie5.wordpress.com/2016/06/10/book-review-afterwards-by-jennifer-mathieu/

[Sam@WLABB]

I read The Truth About Alice 2 years ago, and became a Mathieu fan. I was very excited when I heard about this book, and I was not disappointed.

"Four years. A quarter of my life. Twenty-five percent of it lost"

This is exactly what the title implies. It is the story of what happens afterward. Caroline's little brother, who is also autistic, is kidnapped. After being missing for several days, the police find him, but they also find Ethan, who had been kidnapped from their town 4 years earlier. The story is told from alternating POVs (Caroline and Ethan) over the course of a year after Ethan and Dylan are rescued.

"I want to disintegrate into a million little pieces and float through the atmosphere. I want to rocket up past the moon and disappear somewhere into ht router bands of the Milky Way. I want to be somewhere where I don't feel anything"

The focus may have been on Ethan and Caroline, but Mathieu really showed how differently the two families healed and dealt with the kidnappings. One family, Ethan's, was able to afford the best therapists and faced the problem head on. While the other family, Caroline's, was cash strapped, and wanted to pretend the kidnapping never happened. As a result, one family grows closer as the other falls apart. This was sad, but realistic.

"I'm not going to try and reduce the weight of your burden, but I'm going to help you grow strong enough to carry it."

I became very attached to Ethan quite quickly. The therapy sessions with Dr. Greenberg were some of my favorite parts, because this is where we could really see how Ethan was changing and healing. These sessions were also some of the most emotional parts of the book, as Ethan starts to fill int he holes in his memory. **Sidenote: Dr. Greenberg and Groovy were awesome**

but the thing about Moments is that when you try to have them, you can't. They only sneak up on you when you don't expect them."

Caroline is sort of a mess, but this "event" seems to be a catalyst for change. In my opinion, she becomes a much better person over the course of the story. The kidnapping forced her to grow up a little, and to focus on other people a little more. She develops new friendships, starts to take her responsibilities more seriously, and even gets a little closer to her mom. I felt sort of proud of her at the end of the book, whereas, I did not think too much of her and her actions in the beginning of the book.

"I think you and Caroline must be int he same karass"

The friendship that develops between Caroline and Ethan is quite beautiful. It's a tough basis for a relationship, but both of them got so much out of being with the other. They helped each other just "be", and through this musical therapy, each of them healed and grew a little.

"she grins because she knows. She knows we've got a million songs ahead of us, all of them waiting to be found, and we can't wait to play every single one of them together."

Another solid "ripped from the headlines" book from Jennifer Mathieu.

**I was lucky enough to have my "wish granted" and obtained an eARC copy of this from NetGalley. Quotes may differ in the final copy**