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After Before by Jemma Wayne - Review.

After Before - Jemma Wayne

Publication Date: Available Now

 

“That was the day that Mama made the rules: If they come, run. Be quiet and run. But not together. Never together. If one is found, at least the other survives….”
During a cold, British winter, three women reach crisis point. Emily, an immigrant survivor of the Rwandan genocide is existing but not living. Vera, a newly Christian Londoner is striving to live a moral life, her happiness constantly undermined by secrets from her past. Lynn, battling with an untimely disease, is consumed by bitterness and resentment of what she hasn’t achieved and what has been snatched from her.

 

After Before was an interesting read for me, one that I went into blind and ended up thinking was really great - multi layered, emotional and with some truly remarkable characters that kept me right in the story throughout.

 

The story is based around three women and is a character driven, heartfelt novel that explores many themes and is a very profound read that will have you thinking about it long after you are done. Lynn, now suffering from terminal cancer is regretful of missed opportunities. Her son's fiancee Vera is hiding a dark secret - to tell might mean losing everything. Emily is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide - and for me the character that resonated over and above all others. These amazing ladies are at the very centre of this tale as we discover how they cope and live with their circumstances.

 

There is a strong religious element running throughout that may not be for everyone - for me, possibly the least religious person on the planet - it added an element of fascination and depth that gave me pause for thought on a few issues and made for some intriguing layers to an already poignant story.

 

Generally though, I think what made this one so touching were the parts dealing with Emily and the genocide - the after/before, we see snapshots of Emily's happy childhood interspersed with what came later and it brought the reality of that terrible time into stark reality. Admittedly I don't know a lot of the background, but I often had a tear in my eye while reading some of the passages.

 

Gracefully written with some exquisite prose and a real feeling for characterisation, this is one of those books that can speak to the reader on a very fundamental level, and I'm fairly sure one that will divide opinion. You are going to love it. Or not. I thought it was superb and I am very pleased that I read it - not a novel that I would have picked up on my own so a huge thank you to Legend Press for sending me this for review.

 

Happy Reading Folks!