Review: After the End

After the End by Clare Mackintosh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I may not have read this book had I not heard of the author. “What appeals to you about this book?” NetGalley asks when you request a proof. “Author. I have heard good things about Clare Mackintosh. She writes thrillers.”

‘After the End’ is not the psychological mystery I was expecting but it is a profoundly moving novel, the story of parents faced with an impossible choice - to submit their terminally ill child to treatment that may prolong the length his life but not its quality, or to let him slip away, allowing his pain to end. It is a sad story but it makes you smile in places. It is harrowing but full of humanity.

In her afterword, Clare Mackintosh, who lost a son in circumstances which inspired the novel, says “this is not a story about loss, but about hope. Hope for the future, for a life beyond an unavoidable tragedy.” And, as the second half of the story explores possible outcomes, Sliding Doors-style, the message of hope is clear - life goes on, changed by the experience, but loss does not mean forgetting.

‘After the End’ is an intensely emotional novel and one that I am thankful to have read.

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