Books - Afterwards
September 2005
Poolbeg Press
Paperback, 188 pages
ISBN 184223207X
When 14-year-old Claudia gets home one day to find her mother’s walked out, she doesn’t know what to think. “I can’t do this anymore” is hardly an explanation, and her dad is too busy with work to offer any insight into why his wife has left, nor does he seem to even take it seriously.
Her older brother Ben is no use either – he’s too busy hating school and being cool to bother even talking to her, unless he wants something, and her younger sister Julie is engrossed in her sulking and getting into fights.
Her friends have no idea about what’s going on – Beth might care, but with Christy never shutting up about her latest boyfriend it’s hard to get a word in edgeways, and anyway, maybe some things are better left within the family. Her mum leaving changes everything, and even if she does come back, nothing’s ever going to be the same ever again.
“… the plot, which sees 14-year-old Claudia trying to deal with her neglectful workaholic father, unhelpful older brother and difficult younger sister – is well developed…. The note on which the story ends will strike a chord with many young adults…”
(Celia Keenan, Sunday Independent)
“An enjoyable and thought-provoking book … it did not give any easy answers. Despite how irritating the father is, he is not made into a stereotypical “bad guy” and Claudia points out that she can understand his point of view. Nobody is shown to be completely “right” or “wrong”, so you end up questioning your initial impression of characters and trying to understand points of view that you would be inclined to dismiss as simply “wrong”.”
(Amazon reviews)
