Book Review - After The End By Claire Mackintosh

 After The End By Claire Mackintosh

Goodreads: 4.00/5

My Rating: ★★★☆☆

Genre: Women's Literary Fiction

After The End is available in Kindle, Paperback, Hardback and Audiobook Formats.

Synopsis

Max and Pip are the strongest couple you know. Only now they're facing the most important decision of their lives - and they don't agree.

As the consequences of an impossible choice threaten to devastate them both, nothing will ever be the same again.

But anything can happen after the end . . .

My Review

After The End was sat in my to be read pile for quite some time and I had been waiting for the right time to read it. I new it was going to be emotional, which is why I waited but was I prepared for how emotional … the answer is a definite no.

I debated my three stars rating for some time, and wondered if I was being fair. It is certainly not aimed at the subject of this book, for I feel the author has covered this difficult subject with a lot of sensitivity and realism. The love and grief pour out of the pages and consume you. If it was based on this alone it would give it the five stars. My rating takes into consideration the style in which it is written. Which I will try and explain more of now.

The first part of the book was an emotional rollercoaster that definitely required tissues, I needed to know what was going to happen and only put it down to regain my composure before starting again. Then all of a sudden, I was confused, completely thrown by what I was reading. I had just heard one court verdict now I hear the alternative! I suddenly had two stories playing out side by side (I had to reread the previous chapter to check I didn’t miss anything) it was an interesting move from the author playing out the lives from both verdicts and Claire maintained the strong characters and moving story, tissues were still required but I had to think about which side I was reading and didn’t really enjoy having the two paths intertwined. It then ended with a disappointing last chapter, I feel there was to much that was unexplained and that I was missing a big part of the characters lives. How did we get back to Max and Pip? What happened to Blair and how is Lars still in the mix? I can see what was trying to be achieved but for me personally I don’t think it really worked, too much information was missing.

Going back to the subject. It was a difficult subject to read about let alone one to write about, a situation I wish no parent to be in but know that in reality lots are faced with. My heart goes out to Claire, and other parents facing these difficult life changing moments. I cannot imagen what Claire went through and the horrors she revisited to write this book; she is a very talented author who captured the characters lives through the entire book in a very unforgettable emotional way. I would like to thank Claire for taking me on this heart wrenching journey, it was such a thought provoking, moving novel that will stay with me for sometime.