Max and Pip are the strongest couple you know. They're best friends, lovers—unshakable. But then their son gets sick and the doctors put the question of his survival into their hands. For the first time, Max and Pip can't agree. They each want a different future for their son.
What if they could have both?
A gripping and propulsive exploration of love, marriage, parenthood, and the road not taken, After the End brings one unforgettable family from unimaginable loss to a surprising, satisfying, and redemptive ending and the life they are fated to find. With the emotional power of Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper, Mackintosh helps us to see that sometimes the end is just another beginning.
After The End by Clare Mackintosh was published by Sphere in hardback on 25 June 2019, the paperback will be released on 14 May 2020. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.
I read After The End whilst on holiday in Corfu back in September. It's an absolutely beautiful book, it's unlike her previous books which were all psychological thriller; this is a story of love, family and hope.
After The End is a book of two halves. The prologue takes place in a courtroom; just a few paragraphs that set the scene for what was one of the most difficult and heart wrenching stories I've read for a long time.
The reader gets to know Max and Pip who are head over heels in love; a strong and determined couple who are the proud parents of young Dylan.
However, tragedy comes calling and Dylan is diagnosed with cancer. During an operation he suffers brain damage. It's serious; possibly life limiting and will leave him unable to do anything for himself.
However, there are options. There are medics in the States who promise that they can treat Dylan; it's risky and pioneering and there's little evidence to back up their claims, but for these traumatised parents it certainly is an option.
After The End has an unusual structure; part two leads the reader down two very separate paths and poses that question; what would I do? The author has quite obviously invested a lot of emotion into this story and it's not a secret that she has been through a similar situation in real life. It is her experience that adds so much depth to this book; the reader really believes, although it's so hard to judge either of the parents.
Max, Pip and Doctor Leila are the lead characters in the novel, and each one has a strong, believable voice. The supporting cast of characters, especially the other parents in the hospital are especially well created too, and the fraught, yet strong friendships that are established are perfect.
This is a difficult review to write as I don't want to give too much away, about either the plot, or the ending. I can say that is so very tender, yet deals with one of the most heart-breaking issues that any parent can ever experience.
A story that is both life-affirming and hopeful yet will pull on every one of your heartstrings.
Passionately written with an empathy and understanding that is heartbreaking in its reality.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jul/20/my-new-novel-allowed-me-to-grieve-years-after-losing-my-baby-boy
With over 2 million copies of her books sold worldwide, number one bestseller Clare Mackintosh is the multi-award-winning author of I Let You Go, which was a Sunday Times bestseller and the fastest-selling title by a new crime writer in 2015.It also won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year in 2016.
Both Clare's second and third novels, I See You and Let Me Lie, were number one Sunday Times bestsellers.
All three of her books were selected for the Richard & Judy Book Club, and together have been translated into over thirty-five languages.
Clare is patron of the Silver Star Society, a charity based at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, which supports parents experiencing high-risk or difficult pregnancies. She lives in North Wales with her husband and their three children.
* * *
For more information visit Clare's website www.claremackintosh.com or find her at www.facebook.com/ClareMackWrites or on Twitter @ClareMackint0sh #ILetYouGo #ISeeYou #LetMeLie #AftertheEnd
No comments:
Post a Comment