Review: After by Amy Efaw

Sep 13, 2009 by shanyn

Title: After
Hardcover, 350 pages
Author: Amy Efaw
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Publication Date: August 11, 2009
Source: Library
Buy: Amazon

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Book Summary (from Goodreads.com):
An infant left in the trash to die. A teenage mother who never knew she was pregnant . . .

Before That Morning, these were the words most often used to describe straight-A student and star soccer player Devon Davenport: responsible, hardworking, mature. But all that changes when the police find Devon home sick from school as they investigate the case of an abandoned baby. Soon the connection is made – Devon has just given birth; the baby in the trash is hers. After That Morning, there’s only one way to define Devon: attempted murderer.

And yet gifted author Amy Efaw does the impossible – she turns Devon into an empathetic character, a girl who was in such deep denial that she refused to believe she was pregnant. Through airtight writing and fast-paced, gripping storytelling, Ms. Efaw takes the reader on Devon’s unforgettable journey toward clarity, acceptance, and redemption.

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Review:
WOW. The summary of this book definitely tries to gear you up for what you’re about to read, but it’s nearly impossible to gear yourself up enough.

The main premise of the book is that Devon is found to have had a baby and thrown it in the trash behind her home. The beginning was described in a big haze – you aren’t sure exactly what has gone on, but you get the basic idea (what I have described above).

This book really reminded me of a shorter Jodi Picoult novel. It was mostly based on Devon’s court case. And when I say mostly, I mean almost entirely – there are a few portions of the book which deal with Devon’s past (flashback style), and a few that deal with her current status (not relating to her court case).

Efaw does a good job of explaining the court system (by way of the lawyer explaining things to Devon, so it doesn’t seem out of place). What I didn’t like was how non responsive Devon was to different individuals that were in her life. I had to keep forcing myself to remember her situation and her previous life experiences so that I wouldn’t get too mad that she wasn’t talking or wasn’t paying attention to what was going on. Right when it was starting to get really old, Devon’s attitude changed a little, which made it easier to keep going.

I finished the book in about a day because I couldn’t handle how sad several of the topics were. If you’re a Jodi Picoult fan and are looking for a young adult version, I would give this book a try – if you tend to steer clear of sad topics and court case type books, this one’s not for you.

Buy: Amazon

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