The Afterwards by AF Harrold is a touching tale of friendship, the power of love, and the pain of loss.

'I am Cat, and I walk alone, and all paths are open to me.'

December and Happiness are the best friends. They do everything together. Then one day, Ember arrives at school and Ness isn't there. She learns at an assembly that Ness has died. A terrible truck by another shows Ember the way to the Afterwards, the place souls go to wait until they are freed of memory. Animals go here too, and each species stays a certain amount of time, some only moments, others days. Humans longest of all. Guided by a mangy alley cat who travels, as all cats do, wherever he pleases, Ember finds Ness in the Afterwards. And she finds someone most unexpected. But the living aren't meant to be in the twilight realm of resting souls, no more than the dead are meant to cross back over.

This was a touching story, dark and sad, yet full of promise. It speaks to love- of family and friendship. I adored the fact it played off my favourite of Kipling's 'Just So Stories'. Scattered throughout are gorgeous pencil sketches. The sidestory with Ember's uncle was kinda f'd up. Like, how did no one notice the dog? I did like how the Afterward was presented. No heaven or hell. It was simply a place of resting that allowed the energy to be returned to the universe. This fit quite well with my own spiritual beliefs.

***Many thanks to the Netgalley & Bloomsbury Children's Books for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. ( )

I enjoyed this. Beautiful illustration. The story got away from me once or twice and I wasn't sure what was happening, but it got back on track. I'm still pondering the meaning of the tale. An interesting look at death and how one struggles with sorrow. ( )

DNF at 34%

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

The Afterwards was super disturbing, and definitely not a book I want my children to read. First of all, their names were a little confusing (December and Happiness/Ember and Ness), but that was easy to overlook. I can appreciate when an author tries to be unique and original with words. However, I wish the characters had mentioned why they were given those names.

I didn't get very far into this one, so I can't comment on the book as whole, but I disliked how the characters were portrayed at the start. Her friend dies, and she receives the news from the principal at her school. I thought the information was delivered in strange way, with all the kids sitting on the floor in front of him. Wouldn't you assemble a large group of children in a gym or auditorium? It also felt impersonal and careless, even though the characters were emotional.

After the death of her friend, Ember is approached by an uncle that she doesn't see very often, and he tells her that she's supposed to come with him because her father is busy with his girlfriend. Red flag! Red flag! Ember knew this was an odd request, because her father always tells her when his plans change, so she should have asked to go back inside the school and call him. She should not have left with him just because they were related.

Her uncle was super shady about the details, and very vague when she asked him questions, yet she was willing to follow him in circles despite knowing it wasn't the way to her house. Also, what he did was unforgiveable. She should have said something to someone when it was over, but she chooses not to so she can question him on her own. The guy essentially kidnaps her, and she doesn't tell her father? She didn't have to tell him the unbelievable aspects of what happened to her (her visit to the afterlife or whatever), but she could have told him that her uncle picked her up from school and abandoned her somewhere unfamiliar.

If your child has lost a friend or loved one, please keep them away from this book. The Afterwards will likely terrify them, and make them worry about their own deaths. When Ember finds her friend in the gray place (for lack of a better term), she was alone, confused, and scared. I don't want my children to worry about what's going to happen to them when they die (not at this age), and to even consider the possibility of it looking anything like what's described in this book.

Oh, and there's a talking cat that wasn't explained. Shouldn't she have been more concerned with that? Ember also knows she isn't dead, but she's in a dead place, and she actually wants to stay. Kudos for friendship, but she's also a child and should have been more afraid. Why doesn't she want to live? I'm seriously having a hard time wrapping my head around this one, and cannot think of a single positive aspect to end this review with.


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