A review by emeelee
The Afterward, by E.K. Johnston
4.0
3.75 stars. You've heard the tale before: five knights, a mage, and a thief set out on an epic quest to find a sacred object, defeat a great evil, and save the realm. But what becomes of the heroes once their great deeds are accomplished? This is the story of what happens after the world has been saved.
The Afterward is told in alternating POVs and timelines; we see bits and pieces of the grand quest interspersed with the extended epilogue storyline. Personally, I'm a big fan of falling action, so having a whole book primarily centered on falling action was like a personalized gift. I liked the flashback quest scenes to give context, but TBH could have done with less action in the "present-day" timeline-- the focus on the characters and their relationships were honestly of more interest than the sudden heroic mission.
The main conflict is the seemingly doomed romance between knight-in-training Kalanthe and street thief Olsa that developed before the book begins, while they were questing together. They both knew that Kalanthe would need to marry, but since they might die on the quest anyway, why not explore their feelings for each other? But they didn't die, and now they're facing down futures without each other in it.
Kalanthe, a lesbian, is far too honorable to disrespect a husband by straying-- in fact, she is honorable to a fault. She seems to have prepared herself so thoroughly for a dissatisfying future, that she has come to believe she doesn't deserve a satisfying one, much less a happy one. Olsa, meanwhile, is poor, uneducated, and used to being brushed aside and relegated to the shadows. Without the promise of a future with Kalanthe, she can't imagine a place for herself anywhere other than where she's always been. So she returns to thieving. Basically, they just saved the world, but are now miserably trying to return to "normal life" and follow the paths that society has laid out for them.
What I found most interesting about The Afterward is its focus on societal expectations and the constraints of class. Kalanthe, noble but not wealthy, must marry in order to pay off her debt for knight training. Olsa, born poor and disenfranchised, doesn't have the means to try and better her situation, even after saving the world. This is partially because the friends in high places that Olsa made along the way don't understand her situation enough to realize what she needs. Just because Kalanthe and Olsa are heroes doesn't suddenly mean that all their problems disappear.
This book also has an incredible amount of representation. Women are so incredibly centered in the story-- the entire questing squad is female, other than the token male mage. Almost every side character is female as well, from the helpful scholar to the villainous mage to the sea captain to the inn worker. It was so refreshing to see so many diverse female characters, without any sort of remarks about it-- the representation is casual and un-noteworthy in the world of the story. However, the fact that the characters were women wasn't inconsequential: there is discussion of the complications of menstruation and long hair for lady knights; one character wears a hijab-esque headscarf, for which she has experienced some discrimination; lesbian relationships are not surprising, but the matter of heirs means that hetero marriages are still sometimes necessary. Olsa, among other characters, is described as dark-skinned, with curly hair that must be tightly braided. Kalanthe is lighter, but still dark-skinned, with dark hair. A significant side-character is transgender. Olsa is described on-page as bisexual (with a reference to the term not being limited to only binary genders). Several characters are disabled or disfigured (saving the world's a dangerous job). The whole cast in general is very inclusive.
The Afterward is definitely a slower-paced book, with greater emphasis on character development and relationships than on action. Still, I was never bored, and became quite invested in the characters' lives. The exploration of society was interesting, and also quite funny at times (elitist academics get torn a new one). My only complaint is that I think the book could have been longer and delved even more into the world-building and dissection of societal mores. Overall, though, this is quite a satisfying read.
The Afterward is told in alternating POVs and timelines; we see bits and pieces of the grand quest interspersed with the extended epilogue storyline. Personally, I'm a big fan of falling action, so having a whole book primarily centered on falling action was like a personalized gift. I liked the flashback quest scenes to give context, but TBH could have done with less action in the "present-day" timeline-- the focus on the characters and their relationships were honestly of more interest than the sudden heroic mission.
The main conflict is the seemingly doomed romance between knight-in-training Kalanthe and street thief Olsa that developed before the book begins, while they were questing together. They both knew that Kalanthe would need to marry, but since they might die on the quest anyway, why not explore their feelings for each other? But they didn't die, and now they're facing down futures without each other in it.
Olsa blinked rapidly, driving away the forming tears before they could fill her eyes. She was done weeping for Kalanthe Ironheart and the life they could not have. It had been a wonderful dream, the best dream, but it was over now. (163)
Kalanthe, a lesbian, is far too honorable to disrespect a husband by straying-- in fact, she is honorable to a fault. She seems to have prepared herself so thoroughly for a dissatisfying future, that she has come to believe she doesn't deserve a satisfying one, much less a happy one. Olsa, meanwhile, is poor, uneducated, and used to being brushed aside and relegated to the shadows. Without the promise of a future with Kalanthe, she can't imagine a place for herself anywhere other than where she's always been. So she returns to thieving. Basically, they just saved the world, but are now miserably trying to return to "normal life" and follow the paths that society has laid out for them.
What I found most interesting about The Afterward is its focus on societal expectations and the constraints of class. Kalanthe, noble but not wealthy, must marry in order to pay off her debt for knight training. Olsa, born poor and disenfranchised, doesn't have the means to try and better her situation, even after saving the world. This is partially because the friends in high places that Olsa made along the way don't understand her situation enough to realize what she needs. Just because Kalanthe and Olsa are heroes doesn't suddenly mean that all their problems disappear.
This book also has an incredible amount of representation. Women are so incredibly centered in the story-- the entire questing squad is female, other than the token male mage. Almost every side character is female as well, from the helpful scholar to the villainous mage to the sea captain to the inn worker. It was so refreshing to see so many diverse female characters, without any sort of remarks about it-- the representation is casual and un-noteworthy in the world of the story. However, the fact that the characters were women wasn't inconsequential: there is discussion of the complications of menstruation and long hair for lady knights; one character wears a hijab-esque headscarf, for which she has experienced some discrimination; lesbian relationships are not surprising, but the matter of heirs means that hetero marriages are still sometimes necessary. Olsa, among other characters, is described as dark-skinned, with curly hair that must be tightly braided. Kalanthe is lighter, but still dark-skinned, with dark hair. A significant side-character is transgender. Olsa is described on-page as bisexual (with a reference to the term not being limited to only binary genders). Several characters are disabled or disfigured (saving the world's a dangerous job). The whole cast in general is very inclusive.
"The kids I ran around with always said I was confused because I dressed as both a girl and a boy," she said. "But I don't think that's how it works. I like who I like, regardless of what I'm wearing." (223)
The Afterward is definitely a slower-paced book, with greater emphasis on character development and relationships than on action. Still, I was never bored, and became quite invested in the characters' lives. The exploration of society was interesting, and also quite funny at times (elitist academics get torn a new one). My only complaint is that I think the book could have been longer and delved even more into the world-building and dissection of societal mores. Overall, though, this is quite a satisfying read.