"The plot isn't necessarily new and the characters aren't exactly original, but there is definitely something different about this story... somehow a generic (albeit tragic) plot with cliche characters has completely won me over. " — Miss Remmers
Release Date: September 6th, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Challenges: DAC 2011, 100+ Reading Challenge, eBook Challenge
"Anyone who’s had something truly crappy happen to them will tell you: It’s all about Before and After. What I’m talking about here is the ka-pow , shake-you-to-your-core-and-turn-your-bones-to-plastic kind of crappy.
Sixteen-year-old Laurel’s world changes instantly when her parents and brother are killed in a terrible car accident. Behind the wheel is the father of her bad-boy neighbor, David Kaufman, whose mother is also killed. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laurel navigates a new reality in which she and her best friend grow apart, boys may or may not be approaching her out of pity, overpowering memories lurk everywhere, and Mr. Kaufman is comatose but still very much alive. Through it all there is David, who swoops in and out of Laurel’s life and to whom she finds herself attracted against her better judgment. She will forever be connected to him by their mutual loss—a connection that will change them both in unexpected ways."
"The Beginning of After" starts like almost every other contemporary YA novel that revolves around tragedy. At first the "cliche-ness" of it all really bothered me — you know, the good girl who gets straight A's, super anal-retentive, and the ultimate perfectionist who, of course, suffers some huge tragedy and along with the bad boy "gang member" who also suffers some huge tragedy. They fall in love. End of story.
Right?
Sort of. About page twenty when I felt like I had this entire story figured out I was about to put it down and say "Okay, back to paranormal fiction for me!" But I didn't. Maybe I'm stubborn or maybe I am just desperate to finish a book — but I kept reading. [I read the first half of this book in the car on the way to our "mini-moon" vacation] Soon I was annoyed when the car stopped for bathroom breaks and meals and decided that it was in my best interest (and the hubby's) for me to continue reading and skip the breaks. I couldn't pull myself away from the story — not necessarily the plot (two very different things) but the story.
Once we arrived at our destination I didn't necessarily have the time to read because of all the activities planned and of course we were surrounded by family who wanted to celebrate our first two months of marriage together and Laurel's situation slowly became a subtle rhythm (rather than a loud banging drum) in my subconscious. Until the baseball game on Tuesday night (the second baseball game of our vacation). I brought my Nook only to read during the pre-game/batting practice. But page by page (or click by click) I found myself running out of time. The game was about to start at any minute and I wasn't ready to be done reading. After the "Star Spangled Banner" I put down my Nook but by half way through the first inning I was sneaking peeks at the screen. By the end of the second inning I was down right reading shamelessly. The in-laws, friends, and my amazing husband were (for the most part) very understanding and just let me finish. I just kept saying "I'm almost done. I'm almost done."
I finished after the fifth inning. There were times when my heart literally hurt — but I have a hard time explaining why. The plot isn't necessarily new and the characters aren't exactly original, but there is definitely something different, something I can't put my finger on, about this story by Jennifer Castle. Perhaps it is the way it's told, or the subtle progression of the character's grief process — I don't know. It reminded me of "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman because "The Beginning of After" challenged me to consider my own life without my loved ones. But unlike Mia, Laurel doesn't have a choice to stay or go — she must simply continue on.
Despite the genericness of it all, I somehow found Laurel to be refreshing and easy to relate to and David mysterious and more than slightly selfish. I fell in love with the American Boy Joe Lasky. I felt for Laurel and David (although with each additional animal in Laurel's house I felt like I lost more and more of my sanity). I saw and understood the different ways that Laurel, David, and Laurel's grandmother dealt with their grief. It's almost as if Castle has somehow reinvented this plot and these characters through her fantastic story telling ability and has created something entirely different and heartbreaking.
The truth is somehow a generic (albeit tragic) plot with cliche characters has completely won me over. I highly recommend this book to any one who enjoys contemporary YA if for no other reason than to give Laurel (and Castle) the opportunity to prove that the whole "parents die in a car accident" plot is not entirely washed up.
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To the FTC, with love: Galley from NetGalley