Review Detail

One of my friends who’s read almost every recent contemporary YA release recommended this one to me. The concept, a baby in a trash can, sounded a bit iffy to me, and I didn’t particularly like the cover. But I gave it a go anyway.

What I Liked: I loved Efaw’s choice in setting. Stadium High School is one of the coolest locations in the Puget Sound area. The building look’s like a castle! If you’ve watch the Heath Ledger/Julia Styles film 10 Things I Hate About You, you know what I mean. I also used to live in that area, and I think it’s super cool.

But really, Devon never sets foot in the school so that doesn’t really matter.

Efaw’s characterization of Devon is one of the absolute best I’ve seen. I would never have expected to find that I could sympathize and/or enjoy reading about a girl who threw her kid into a dumpster. But I found that Devon’s situation, while not good or really very pleasant, had a certain human quality to it. Efaw really got into her head and let you feel the way Devon felt.

I appreciated the way things weren’t tied up with a bow at the end. The lack of closure helped keep things realistic. The book only took place over a period of eleven days, and it’s stretching things a bit far to expect Devon to have completely recovered mentally from her actions and their consequences.

What I Didn’t Like: This was going to be a five-point review right up until the end. I’m not going to spoil it or anything, but it was a feel-good ending in a book that wasn’t a feel-good read. Of course, there really wasn’t anywhere else Efaw could have taken the book, not if she wanted readers to still sympathize with Devon. But I was still disappointed.

Verdict: Harsh, brutal, and well-told, After is a great example of why people should read contemporary YA fiction. With flawless characterization and wonderful detailing, Efaw’s writing is fantastic.