After [Paperback]

Francis Chalifour (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 11, 2005

Nominated for the Governor General's Literary Awards 2005, (Children's Literature, Text)


Fifteen-year-old Francis’s father has committed suicide and nothing will be the same again. Suicide is ugly, unglamorous, and it is never a solution. Its aftermath is dreadful.

At first, Francis feels a terrible guilt. Could he have been a better son? What if he hadn’t left his home in Montreal to go on a brief holiday in New York the weekend it happened? Soon the guilt turns to anger and then to a sadness so profound that he thinks he can’t bear it.

After is the map of a year following the suicide of a family member. In the course of months, with the love of his mother, with counseling, and with the balm of time, Francis takes his first steps toward coming to terms with his father’s – and his family’s – tragedy. After is intensely personal, but it will resonate with anyone who has faced the loss of a loved one.

This brilliant autobiographical first novel is an acute analysis of the grieving process. Although it is steeped in Francis’s sadness, it is ultimately a story of hope.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up–Francis is called home from a class trip to find his family forever changed: his father hung himself in the attic of their Montreal home. The 15-year-old is now faced with a life different from any he could imagine. His friendships and the way he views situations shift, and the roles he assumes in taking care of his younger brother and in dealing with his mother all reflect the fact that he is forced to become an adult before his time. Yet the teen is a child who misses his father deeply, who does not understand why the man would commit such an act, and who questions what he could have done to prevent the tragedy. The resounding theme in this autobiographical novel is that darkness eventually gives way to light. Francis goes through the phases of grieving; the chapters of the book reflect his journey. Just as he thinks that everything is on track, the grief that he feels overwhelms him and pulls him back down into depression. Ultimately, however, he finds a balance. Although the book is well written, interspersing elements of the culture of Montreal, it is a difficult read, bleak and somber. On the dedication page, Chalifour says, If you've lost someone close, this book is for you. You know what I'm talking about. Indeed, this title will appeal to a specific audience.–Emily Garrett, Naaman Forest High School, Garland, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. While Montreal native 15-year-old Francis is on a school trip to New York City, his depressed, unemployed father commits suicide. This autobiographical novel, a finalist for Canada's 2005 Governor General's Literary Award, documents the year following the tragedy and how Francis and his family come to terms with their overwhelming grief. Francis' mother gives him an old letter that mentions a reunion of his father's poker buddies that is planned for later in the year, and Francis travels to the meeting place, foolishly hoping his father will somehow be there. When he finds the place boarded up and deserted, the finality of his father's death sinks in and he is able to begin the healing process. The plot is predictable, and dated pop-culture references to Ace of Base and Chia Pets are distracting. But while Chalifour's well-intentioned novel occasionally falters, teens who have experienced the death of a parent or loved one will respond to its heartfelt message: after every tragedy, there is hope. Jennifer Hubert
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Tundra Books (October 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887767052
• ISBN-13: 978-0887767050
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.3 x 7.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,229,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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