The Aftermath- Book Review

The Aftermath by Gail Schimmel

Genre: Women’s Fiction, Family Drama 
4.3 Stars 

The Aftermath is about three women- Helen (mother), Julia (daughter), and Claire (friend). 

Helen had been in an accident twenty-six years ago and has been barely present for her daughter, Julia. Julia grew up with bare minimum affection and spent more time with her therapist as she grew older. 

Claire comes as a breath of fresh air into Julia’s life, bringing laughter and mindless fun. She has a loving family, understanding parents, a nice husband, and a cute 6yo daughter. She’s ever-ready to help others, even if it puts her under immense strain. 

One rash decision by Julia changes everything. She can’t rely on Claire to make her laugh. Her mother is beginning to act different, and Julia isn’t sure if she likes it or not. 

Things get further complicated, and the lives of the three women are entwined more than ever. What happens next? Can they find peace and happiness one way or another? 

The book has multiple POVs, with Helen, Julia, and Claire sharing their version of the story. Another character, Daniel, also gets to share his side of things, and let’s just say that he’s someone who needs to be hit on the head with a hot frying pan to knock some sense into it. 

I love how the author has presented four different POVs (three of which are women) and still maintained their voices true to their characters. There is no confusion or mix-up in the narration. The character arcs are steady, and so are the voices as the story progresses. 

Despite being a 350-page book, the short chapters and free-flowing narrative style make the book an easy read. The characters do their thing, muddle through life, make a few wrong decisions, make the right ones, try to get life back on track, and well… just live.

Though I don’t identify with any of the characters, I could understand their decisions and motives. The characters are real and flawed. Yet, they aren’t weak. They carry the story from start to finish with apparent ease. As a reader, I know they’ll handle whatever comes in the way, and they do. 

The story deals with multiple themes of life, love, loss, friendships, and so on. It’s a contemporary drama without seeming to be one. The side characters are well-etched within their scope and add more depth to the story. 

All of it sounds great, but there are teeny things I wished the book had. As someone who likes complete endings, I was a bit disappointed with the ending. I wanted to hear all the women say goodbye to the readers. 

The secret isn’t something devastating or major. Yeah, it is important. But it doesn’t define or change things per se. And it comes towards the end. That part of the blurb makes the book sound more like a family thriller, but it isn’t. 

Apart from these, the setting is both an advantage and a disadvantage. The story is set in a suburb of Johannesburg, SA. Now, when you read the book, you hardly find anything related to the region. People want the setting to be an inherent part of the story; this could disappoint them a little. This book could be set just about anywhere, and it would more or less be the same. While the universal factor is a plus, and I like it (that’s how I write too), not every reader sees it that way. 

Overall, The Aftermath is a very well-written, steady-paced book with strong characters and a definite storyline. There aren’t many twists or confusing changes of directions. We can guess how things will proceed, and most of the time, they go the same way. If you enjoy such books, The Aftermath is for you.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing.

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