BookAHolique

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Afterwards: A Novel

.Overview from Goodreads:

There is a fire and they are in there. They are in there...
Black smoke stains a summer blue sky. A school is on fire. And one mother, Grace, sees the smoke and rush. She knows her teenage daughter Jenny is inside. She runs into the burning building to rescue her.
Afterwards Grace must find the identity of the arsonist and protect her children from the person who's still intent on destroying them. Afterwards, she must fight the limits of her physical strength and discover the limitlessness of love.

My Thoughts:

This was a good book. It was interesting in that the story is told mostly through the eyes of the spirit of Mom, Grace. She has been badly injured in a school fire after she ran in to save her daughter Jenny, who was also seriously hurt. While their physical bodies are being taken care of in a hospital burn unit, the “spirits” of Grace and Jenny follow family members around as they try to piece together evidence to determine who set the fire and why. The main investigating is done by Grace’s sister-in-law, Sarah, who is a police officer.

This really came down to a story about the love we have for our families – Sarah trying to solve the murder mystery out of love for her brother and his family. The Dad – working hard to keep his family protected. And finally, Grace’s spirit, with a decision she makes out of love for Jenny.

While the story was occasionally wordy and just a little lengthy, I did enjoy it.

This is the second book that I have read by Rosamund Lupton and I would not hesitate to read any future books she may write.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crown Publishing Group for allowing me to read this book for my unbiased review.

The publish date is April 24, 2012.

My Rating: ***