After the End was written by Sunday Times bestselling author Clare Mackintosh, and was published in 2019.
I’m a big fan of Clare Mackintosh’s novels. They’re always gripping and intense but with a real human element to them too.
I’d heard After The End was a different read to her previous works and I’m a little late to the party with this one. However as I’ve read all her other books, I didn’t want to miss this one.
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Plot
Max and Pip have a strong marriage and are loving parents to their two-year-old son Dylan. However, after a failed attempt to completely remove a brain tumour, Dylan is left severely brain-damaged.
Max and Pip must now face a heartbreaking decision. Do they seek treatment that may prolong his life, but not cure him? Or do they listen to the doctors’ recommendations and provide him with palliative care until he passes away.
And what happens if Max and Pip can’t agree?
After The End Book Review
After The End was, as others had previously told me, a completely different read to the author’s other works. However, it still had me gripped despite the change in pace.
You know purely from reading the book blurb that this is going to be a heartbreaking read. Clare Mackintosh has been through the situation herself and so as you would expect, the subject was sensitively handled.
It’s a hard read which is something the author herself acknowledges at the end of the story. Despite the difficult subject matter and the sadness that comes from such a topic, it wasn’t a depressing read. There were moments of hope and gratitude.
It’s a thought-provoking read and one that made me wonder what I, as a mother, would have done in a similar situation.
I thought the switch of perspective in the second half of the book was cleverly done, though it took me a while to get used to it! The ending also left me a little puzzled, to the point I went back and read the final scenes again!
Overall, it’s difficult to say I enjoyed the novel when it’s based on such a heartbreaking topic. I can however say it’s beautifully written and I’m glad I read it.
What to read next
If you enjoy Clare Mackintosh’s writing style, I’d recommend reading her other novels, such as The Last Party and Hostage. They’re thriller novels so a change in pace to After the End but still brilliant reads.
Clare Mackintosh has also written a memoir, I Promise It Won’t Always Hurt Like This based on her own experience of losing a child.
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