Afterwards

Rating

Sunday Times Top-Ten Bestseller 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 runs. 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 family 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. Praise for Afterwards: 'Loved The Time Traveler's Wife? This is even better' Company 'Lupton pushes the boundaries of our imagination with the manner in which the mystery is solved, creating a stunningly good read that's impossible to second-guess. A literary crime novel that's as clever in its premise as it is well written' Glamour 'Chillingly good' Red Magazine 'A bold, impossible-to-categorise and riveting blend of psychological suspense, literary thriller and the paranormal. Afterwards proves that Lupton isn't just good - she's wickedly good' Seattle Times 'In Afterwards, we see a master's touch on every page. Uncompromising emotional impact, a poet's sonorous style and a gripping story all come together to make this a transcendent literary experience. I guarantee this novel will touch everyone' Jeffery Deaver 'I became insanely gripped . . . The word "compelling" is used lightly of mystery and crime novels - this one will define it for you' Daily Mail

Promotional Information

*The publication of Afterwards will be backed by GBP100,000 marketing campaign and will be the biggest marketing campaign for a Piatkus title EVER * We will be backing publication with a high-visability ourdoor campaign to to include Nationwide adrail, London Underground and shopping mall posters *Review coverage guaranteed *Headline features on www.piatkus.co.uk and Rosamundlupton.com

About the Author

For years Rosamund Lupton has been a script writer for the BBC. She lives in London with her husband - a doctor - and two children.

Reviews

Like Lupton's acclaimed debut, Sister, her sophomore effort is a wonderful mix of smart thriller with tear-provoking literature; a fine blend of Jodi Picoult and P.D. James. The novel opens with narrator Grace racing into a burning private school to rescue her trapped daughter, Jenny. Afterward, mother and daughter, both hospitalized and comatose, witness through an out-of-body experience their friends, family, and police as they attempt to solve the mystery of who set the fire and why. Was someone after Jenny? How well did Grace truly know her own best friend's family? Why was there the cover-up of a teacher's firing? With a lot of red herrings and wrong turns, Grace and Jenny try to figure it out, all the while cementing their own relationship. VERDICT Although the unusual narrative technique may be off-putting at first to some readers, those who enjoyed Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones or S.J. Watson's Before I Go to Sleep will find it a very effective device. Lupton has written a riveting story that will resonate with readers long after they have turned the last page. [See Prepub Alert, 10/23/11.]-Marianne Fitzgerald, Anne Arundel Cty. Sch., Annapolis, MD (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In AFTERWARDS, we see a master's touch on every page. Uncompromising emotional impact, a poet's sonorous style and a gripping story all come together to make this a transcendent literary experience. I guarantee this novel will touch everyone Jeffery Deaver Extraordinary...heart-stopping...[an] ingenious thriller Mail on Sunday I became insanely gripped ... The word compelling is used lightly of mystery and crime novels this one will define it for you Daily Mail In a LOVELY BONES-style conceit ... Lupton works her theme of the corrosive effects of ambition with insight and gusto Guardian The smartly crafted characters create an addictive whodunit ... [it] flits between a fast-paced criminal investigation and the beautifully written musings of Grace as she hears that she and Jenny will probably never wake up making this an unmissable read Heat Loved THE TIME TRAVELLER'S WIFE? Well this is even better Company Compulsive reading right from the start ... Pacy and compelling She As with Lupton's debut SISTER, AFTERWARDS has bestseller written all over it. She has found a way of combining searing emotion with page-turning plotting Daily Mirror Extraordinary...heart-stopping...[an] ingenious thriller Mail on Sunday A bold, impossible-to-categorize, and riveting blend of psychological suspense, literary thriller and the paranormal ... wickedly good Seattle Times Lupton's dexterity at handling the subplots and possible suspects is dazzling ... [she] creates such lovely, believable feelings in all of her characters, that what's ostensibly a supernatural story feels very, very human Oprah.com