Aftercare Instructions

by Bonnie Pipkin

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

4.5*

First, I must say, the topic of abortion is one that is woefully unspoken about in most books. I love that the author and publisher took such a heavy, important topic and channeled it into a really responsible, well-thought out novel. Lest we get into some kind of political/religious debate, no one enjoys talking about this sort of thing, but unintended pregnancies are a real part of people's lives. And I feel like young people especially have so few places to turn (in most cases, anyway) in the event that this happens to them. I can't imagine the havoc this kind of decision would wreak on a young woman's life, so I absolutely applaud this book for handling the subject so respectfully, and so honestly.

I loved that the author didn't make this exclusively about Genesis's decision, though. She portrayed Genesis as a well-rounded and thoughtful young woman with a lot of promise. But she also shows the difficulty of Gen's life, her family, her boyfriend (who you'll probably want to punch, just saying). And of course, the aftermath of her life changing decision to end her pregnancy. Genesis was confident of her choice, but that doesn't mean it didn't still have a huge impact, and I loved how honest that felt.

We get glimpses into how Genesis got to the point she is at, how her relationship evolved, how her home life was, as the story goes on. These are told as a play script, which was fun- and made it really easy to decipher what parts were flashback and which were present time, and I appreciated that.

Bottom Line: This is a lovely story, woven by both past and present situations, that not only shines a light on the effects of a young woman's decision, but how her life continues and how she grows after the decision.

*Copy provided for review