[description from Amazon]An infant left in the trash to die. A teenage mother who never knew she was pregnant . . .
Before That Morning, these were the words most often used to describe straight-A student and star soccer player Devon Davenport: responsible, hardworking, mature. But all that changes when the police find Devon home sick from school as they investigate the case of an abandoned baby. Soon the connection is made—Devon has just given birth; the baby in the trash is hers. After That Morning, there’s only one way to define Devon: attempted murderer.
And yet gifted author Amy Efaw does the impossible— she turns Devon into an empathetic character, a girl who was in such deep denial that she refused to believe she was pregnant. Through airtight writing and fast-paced, gripping storytelling, Ms. Efaw takes the reader on Devon’s unforgettable journey toward clarity, acceptance, and redemption.Review:
This is a book where, while reading, I figured I wouldn't know if I liked it until I was done. Personally, I do not like more character driven books- I always need things going on to keep me interested. With all the build up, and not a lot of action, in this book, I needed a great ending to make all the build up worth it. If the ending wasn't good, it would be too anticlimactic. And, unfortunately, I did not care for the ending.
After is not exactly a character-driven novel, but not plot-driven either. There are not any big, exciting events that happen after the opening chapters- it's mostly all build up to the end. There are things that happened, but the ending is what is always in sight, and what I was always waiting for. But I'm not saying the build up is bad, because it wasn't. The subject matter was unfamiliar to me, so reading about it and the effects after were interesting and eye-opening. But there was so much build up that the book needed a solid ending to back it up, and the ending was way too anticlimactic. There's a few way the book could end, and I can see why the ending was chosen, but personally I don't think it was the best choice. The same, or at least similar, feeling at the could have been achieved by a more realistic ending.
I did like the writing though- the third person allows the reader to be unbiased in their opinion of Devon. Because she's not telling the story, making up excuses, and leaving whatever she wants out, the entire story is told, and whoever is reading can judge her however they want. Devon is also as developed as she can be; she'll be developed when viewed by individuals, but not to whole groups of people. No one will see her the same way, so there is not one way to see her. There is not one way she is, so she is not fully developed. (I don't think that makes much sense, but whatever.) It's easy to see how she feels about some things, and how the whole baby debacle has affected her, but because she's so controversial I don't think she can be completely developed.
After was emotional and has a unique premise, but it wasn't for me. People who like more character focused, less action-y books will enjoy it though.
6.5/10
Links: Amy's site/blog/the After site
Viking/Hardcover/$17.99/Amazon/B&N/Borders/IndieBound
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