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.
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
Reading updates
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Started reading
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5 November, 2016:
Finished reading
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5 November, 2016:
Reviewed