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Aftermath

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Casey Fielding, the night manager of O'Ruddy's Restaurant in East Breed, Pennsylvania, is a product of his environment, where the bottom line of corporate management dictates his every move, a night manager who literally works by the book. A fight breaks out one night, the second in as many weeks, between the lower-income townies and the wealthy prep school boys. When the melee is over, one boy, the athletic Colin Chase, lies on the ground, blood leaking from his head. The young man hovers near death in a coma; he recovers, but with the mentality of a four-year old. Fielding bears the wrath of the authorities for not calling the police at the first sign of trouble and is fired for incompetence, embarrassing his employers; his girlfriend treats him with even more disrespect than her former active disdain; and the local paper prints an article lamenting Casey's inaction, implying a violation of the Good Samaritan Act. Casey spends his days in self-doubt: "He had to mine the depths to deal with this season of his life."

Colin's parents, Lea and Geoffrey Chase, provide a second dramatic focus, his physician-father and once-ignored mother adjusting to their son's damaged existence, their handsome, vigorous son reduced to the behavior of a helpless toddler. Their lives settle into the mundane details of daily care: "We can complain because rose bushes have thorns or rejoice because thorns have roses." For all the immediate drama of the tragedy, the survivors are left the results, press and cameras no longer seeking to titillate the public. Geoffrey can barely adjust to their changed circumstances, but Lea Chase is fearless, tracking down the truth of that terrible night through fragments of details found among her son's jumbled belongings. At the same time, Casey investigates local rumors, both of them uncovering information that will change the dynamic of the brutal beating in the parking lot of O'Ruddy's, the easy simplicity of tragedy tempered with a moral dilemma, a poignant reminder that nothing is ever as it seems.

Shawver translates the human condition into a drama of the aftermath of a violent act, skillfully mining the long term residue of ill-considered actions, his characters far more than facile cutouts of the damaged, the bereaved and the unfairly judged. For most, life goes on as before, the event but a moment in unexamined lives. Fielding is an ordinary guy caught up in an event not of his making, now at the mercy of fate, stepping carefully through an unexpected minefield of emotions. For Fielding, Lea Chase and a girl named Jenny, the world has tilted subtly on its axis. Lea regains a damaged, if purified son, Jenny is vaguely comforted and Casey clings to the brittle memory of an icy winter night, the beginning of an inevitable slide into a difficult future in a barely predictable and dangerous world. Luan Gaines/ 2006.

AFTERMATH by Brian Shawver
February 24, 2006

Amazon Rating: *****

The tale of a teenage boy who is beaten nearly to death, and how this event impacts two very different people, the debut by Brian Shawver, AFTERMATH will probably be one of my favorite reads from 2006. It is the story of a tragic event, the search to find the truth behind this tragic event, and how those around the deceased react to his life and his death.

There are two main characters, one of them being Casey Fielder, who is the restaurant manager of a restaurant chain called "O'Ruddy's". The story takes place in the blue-collar town of East Breed, Pennsylvania, a small town where it seems everyone knows every body, and events such as this are talked about by everyone. Casey is the type of man that takes pride in his work, follows the rules to a tee, and is quite proud of the job he does. The night when Colin Chase is beat up in the parking lot of O'Ruddy's changes Casey's life forever, as he is blamed for the brawl between the two groups of teenage boys, and he is soon fired from his job.

The rest of Casey's story is in which he tries to convince every one he meets that it was not his fault that this happened, and after much careful thought, Casey feels that he failed to call the police because his co-worker Jenny told him the phones were not working. Casey, however, never tells the police this, and he is thus presented to the press as the man that did not take responsibility in order to save Colin's life. He's lost his job and is now marked as a man that no one wants to hire.

Lea Chase is Colin's mother, and she is trying to deal with a son that is brain-damaged and forever changed into that of a child with the IQ of a 4-year old. While Colin was the man on campus, Lea soon learns things about Colin that any mother would not want to hear. She ponders over Colin's past life, and his new life today, and wonders if the brawl that changed Colin's life was a change for the better. Like Casey, she too does her best to find out what really happened that night in the parking lot, and why anyone would want to kill her son.

What makes AFTERMATH an interesting read is that a traditional book would have the reader empathizing with Colin. However, in this novel, the reader will actually learn to despise the teenager, but find themselves feeling more for Casey the restaurant manager and Lea, Colin's mother. I found the book quite refreshing and well written. AFTERMATH will be on my top 2006 list of best novels of the year.

The aftermath of a vicious fight which left a Pennsylvania prep school senior injured and with the mental capacity of a four-year-old is the focus of author Brian Shawver's intriguing story of the fight between townies from East Breed's Township and local preppies from St. Brendan's. The night-time fight, the second to have occurred within two weeks, takes place in the parking lot behind O'Ruddy's, a small, franchised restaurant managed by Casey Fielder, who runs the restaurant according to the handbook. As he watches, one boy picks up a heavy metal rod and brings it down on the head of Colin Chase, maiming him forever.

Everyone even peripherally involved with the participants and the fight is dramatically affected by the results, and as Shawver takes the reader into the minds of the various players, the reader sees them considering their own culpability (or rejecting it), making excuses, and replaying and second-guessing events. Casey Fielder's failure to call the police when the fight started is soon seen in a more complex and sympathetic context, since insurance issues and the possible closing of the restaurant have been paramount for the owners. As Casey investigates the background of the victim and the running feud between the preppies and the townies, he discovers that issues are far more complicated than he ever suspected.

Alternating the point of view between Casey and that of the victim's parents, especially Lea Chase, Colin's mother, Shawver shows the human impulse to connect with the participants and to discover the truth--Casey through meeting with one of the participants from the Township, who has more information than he has revealed, and Lea through her examination of the effects of her long-estranged son. Gradually, both discover that Colin may not have been as much a victim as some people think him to be.

Shawver's pitch-perfect dialogue reveals the attitudes and expectations of his characters at the same time that his fast-paced prose highlights their impulsive actions and immaturity. With feeling and high drama, he shows the human reactions of friends and parents to this seventeen-year-old student's brain damage, while avoiding sentimentality and melodrama. Class issues play a part in the outcome, and the novel, which depends on the developing characters for its drama, rather than on non-stop action, takes a long view to show why the fight took place. In doing this, however, Shawver also shows that one can never be certain of the answers--that reality may be far more complex and far different from what anyone ever suspected. n Mary Whipple

In a fight outside of the restaurant O'Ruddy's, Colin Chase never had a chance when three boys ganged up on him and whacked him with a mental rod. He survives but is never the same. As the reader, you will sense that Colin, a high school senior, and football star, was both revered as the only child of Geoffrey and Lea Chase, and feared by them. Colin kept many secrets that Lea was shocked to uncover. The chapters are intertwined with the story of Casey Fielder, the restaurant manager, who did not call the police when the fight started. Fearful to lose his job because of a fight, he wanted to wait it out, hoping that the kids would leave. The town and the police are shocked by his lack of action. Casey struggles to find another job, and struggles to explain things to his girlfriend. The narrative is superbly written; as Lea discovers who her son truly was; and how Casey changes in order to find the truth. A compelling novel that is truly extraordinary!

This is an excellent novel with both an interesting plot that unwinds throughout the book and good character studies. After a brawl between two groups of teenagers in a restaurant parking lot, Casey, the manager is fired for not calling the police, and Colin, one of the boys, is beaten severely and left with permanent major brain damage. This sounds as if these two persons are victims, but in this book nothing is what it seems. Neither of these characters seems sympathetic. Casey is not too smart, and incapable of thinking outside the box. He needs orders to follow, a handbook of rules, supervision. He is a terrible decision maker and it's surprising he got to be a manager at all. At first he is terrified he will be found guilty of a crime (when he didn't actually commit one), then he commits one serious crime after another to find out what was behind the original incident. Colin, even in his mother's eyes, is a nasty piece of work who gets into every kind of trouble and is disliked by many people around town. Although it appears he did go looking for trouble that night, and his mother considers the thought that he nay have gotten what he deserved, it's questionable whether anyone deserves his fate. Jenny, a waitress at the restaurant, seems to be the most sympathetic character. However, the author gradually reveals things about these three people that show things may not be what they seem. The story is well written and everything ties together well. The characters are believable, and this is again something that could happen in real life. I dont know if it was based on an actual incident, but it may be. The book is definitely worth reading.

Actually, this was a rather unique book, not the usual in this particular genre. There is a crime and the results are recorded through the preceptions of two different people, of different background and different class. The author has done this well, has been able to blend to two views and come up with a remarkable and satisfying story. There is indeed a bleakness about this book, but it is obvious that is what the author intended and that makes it good. The author's character developement is great. His telling of how different people deal with the same preceived tragedy is very, very good. This one had be at the first page and held my interest to the last. Well done Mr Shawver! Recommend this one highly.

Thanks, for a great read, Brian. Rare are the times I can read a novel without realizing I've been at it for two hours straight. This book grabbed me. You have great insight into description of people and place. I still see Lea and the parking lot in my my head. Thanks, and I can't wait for your next one!!!

Cousin Chuck

Watch this space - I am really looking forward to Shawver's next book.
Don't know why the other reviewers feel the need to summarise it but..
I was blown away by this novel. Shawver's insight into people of such different walks of life is amazing
A friend also read it and as she said - it is quite overwhelming
A superb read

I thought Aftermath was wonderful. I usually greatly dislike anything from the Iowa workshop people but Shawver is fantastic!