debi_g's review against another edition
3.0
The Quaker angle is interesting.
The suspense doesn’t seem necessary.
katiez624's review against another edition
5.0
I was also fascinated to get an inside look at a Quaker church, the way in which silence is used as a key tool to convening with the Divine. The plot is propulsive, with secrets being revealed slowly but deliberately. This was a great read from start to finish.
akappel32's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
kimveach's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide, Addiction, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Murder, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Domestic abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Self harm, Violence, Bullying, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Sexual assault
Minor: Dementia
sundeviljewels's review against another edition
4.0
bernadettebloom's review against another edition
4.0
xtinee's review against another edition
5.0
mgallmeyer03's review against another edition
5.0
"She had recognized him, and he had recognized her. And maybe that was a type of love, finding in someone the same river that flows through you, both of you sharing its banks."
"Death is certain. Yet stories rain down on us of souls who 'bravely battled' their fatal condition 'until the end,' as if being at war with an unalterable fact is the highest possible good."
What Comes After is a compelling story about loss, grief, found family, and the power of love and forgiveness. It centers around three main characters: Isaac, a divorced high school teacher struggling with his Quaker faith; Evangeline, a pregnant teenager without a home; and Lorrie, a widowed CNA living next door to Isaac. After Isaac's son, Daniel, is brutally murdered by Lorrie's son, Jonah, Evangeline unexpectedly enters their lives. Isaac, Lorrie, and Evangeline must then learn to navigate their lives with one another amongst this unspeakable tragedy.
I absolutely LOVED this book and had a difficult time putting it down. I just had to know where the book was going and how these three characters were going to come together and prevail. The writing is stunning, the characters are wonderfully flawed and are easy to root for, and the pacing is perfect. The story is told from three different perspectives: Isaac, Evangeline, and Jonah. JoAnne Tompkins did an incredible job at weaving past and present timelines so seamlessly. Truthfully, I'm stunned that this book is from a debut author because the writing is incredibly beautiful and nearly perfect. I can't begin to explain the way that the writing in this book spoke to me. It also made me sob uncontrollably for two whole chapters. I have only had a handful of books make me cry the way this one did: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Art of Racing in the Rain, Clockwork Princess, A Monster Calls, 11/22/63, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I am so glad I read this book and cannot believe I almost didn't read this. This book is the epitome of why I read. I will buy anything JoAnne Tompkins writes in the future.
lingoreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Death, Animal death, and Suicide