
Leah
Written on Aug 26, 2017
For some reason or another, Aftermath is the second book I’ve read recently that involves a teen that was kidnapped and found within the space of two years (in the case of 738 Days) and four years, with Aftermath. I was a tiny bit concerned going in to Aftermath that it was just going to be the same book, but I kinda feel like Aftermath did the whole aftermath of a kidnapping better? A lot of 738 Days seemed rushed, more focused on the celebrity aspect of being a famous kidnapping victim, etc, whereas Aftermath dealt with the actual aftermath – how Charlotte’s family fell apart, whereas in 738 Days, Amanda kinda ran away from her home life.
Aftermath was so intriguing. If I was Charlotte, I too would imagine that if I was kidnapped, I would want to believe my family would be the same – they’d stick together. Ignoring the fact that anyone who kidnapped me would return me after a day because I am just too annoying to deal with. (Kidding. Sorta.) I would want to believe that they just kept on trucking on with their lives as it was before, ya know? It’s familiar, so I could totally understand Charlotte’s confusion when she returns home and her dad and mom are divorced – and her dad is remarried! With a new baby! – and Charlotte’s twin sister Alexa has gone completely off the rails. It would throw me completely. I would feel intense guilt that my kidnapping led to that.
It’s so cliched to say, but Charlotte was so strong. The way she seamlessly slid back into her life after her ordeal was incredible. I’d never want to leave the house again, but I liked that Charlotte just wanted to get back to normal or the new normal, considering everything had changed. She wanted to go to school, she wanted to see friends, she wanted to do all the tasks she and Alexa had set out in the Dream Book four years earlier. It was heartbreaking yet hopeful. And I liked how bothered Charlotte was by the girl who came before her – who her kidnapper regularly threatened her with “If you don’t believe, I’ll do to you what I did to the one before” etc.
I really liked Aftermath, it was an intriguing read about a difficult topic that was handled incredibly sensitively. I am probably fairly tapped out on kidnapping tales for the moment but I did like this one more than 738 Days – the narrative was just more relatable, I felt more connected to Charlotte than I did with Amanda, and I was so intrigued about the twin story between Charlotte and Alexa and all that comes with being a twin (mostly because for SO long I wanted to be a twin). I still do, actually. I suspect it’s too late… But you never know…
Aftermath was so intriguing. If I was Charlotte, I too would imagine that if I was kidnapped, I would want to believe my family would be the same – they’d stick together. Ignoring the fact that anyone who kidnapped me would return me after a day because I am just too annoying to deal with. (Kidding. Sorta.) I would want to believe that they just kept on trucking on with their lives as it was before, ya know? It’s familiar, so I could totally understand Charlotte’s confusion when she returns home and her dad and mom are divorced – and her dad is remarried! With a new baby! – and Charlotte’s twin sister Alexa has gone completely off the rails. It would throw me completely. I would feel intense guilt that my kidnapping led to that.
It’s so cliched to say, but Charlotte was so strong. The way she seamlessly slid back into her life after her ordeal was incredible. I’d never want to leave the house again, but I liked that Charlotte just wanted to get back to normal or the new normal, considering everything had changed. She wanted to go to school, she wanted to see friends, she wanted to do all the tasks she and Alexa had set out in the Dream Book four years earlier. It was heartbreaking yet hopeful. And I liked how bothered Charlotte was by the girl who came before her – who her kidnapper regularly threatened her with “If you don’t believe, I’ll do to you what I did to the one before” etc.
I really liked Aftermath, it was an intriguing read about a difficult topic that was handled incredibly sensitively. I am probably fairly tapped out on kidnapping tales for the moment but I did like this one more than 738 Days – the narrative was just more relatable, I felt more connected to Charlotte than I did with Amanda, and I was so intrigued about the twin story between Charlotte and Alexa and all that comes with being a twin (mostly because for SO long I wanted to be a twin). I still do, actually. I suspect it’s too late… But you never know…