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    After Before
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    After Before
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    After Before
    Audiobook12 hours

    After Before

    Written by Jemma Wayne

    Narrated by Anna-Marie Wayne

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    During a cold, British winter, three women reach crisis point. Emily, an immigrant survivor of the Rwandan genocide is existing but not living. Vera, a Christian Londoner is striving to live a moral life, undermined by secrets from her past. Lynn, battling a disease, is consumed by resentment of what she hasn't achieved. Each suffers their own demons. But as their paths interweave, they begin to unravel their pasts, and change each other's futures.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherW. F. Howes Ltd
    Release dateNov 6, 2014
    ISBN9781471274374
    Author

    Jemma Wayne

    Born to an American musician father, and English mother, London based author Jemma began her journalist career at The Jewish Chronicle. She now works freelance splitting time between journalism, stage writing and prose. @writejemmawayne

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    Reviews for After Before

    3.5/5

    9 ratings3 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Likes: Wayne really knows her characters, and the writing is solid. She has an good observational eye for detail, which I always appreciate.

      Dislikes: Implausible plotting, including one turn that infuriated me so much I had to put my Kindle aside for a while. IT MADE NO SENSE. IT WAS THREE DAYS AGO. I AM STILL MAD. Also, the fact that Wayne seems to view Luke as largely sympathetic confuses me, as I had been thinking of him as "imminently punchable." And the way that Emily's story ended -- well, Jemma Wayne and I do not see the world the same way.

      In short, you will probably enjoy this novel most if you and I strongly disagree on everything.
    • 3/5
      Emily is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide. Vera is newly engaged, a recent convert to her fiancé’s religion and a recovered addict. Lynn is dying, a bitter and resentful woman. These three distinctly different women’s lives are soon to become intertwined. Vera’s fiancé is Lynn’s son and Emily becomes Lynn’s carer.Through the narrative we discover the afters and befores of each of these women’s lives. Emily’s story is by far the most compelling. She has watched her family die as friends and neighbours turned on them during the worst of times in Rwanda. She is trying to survive in London in a cold Council flat where she lives in isolation and fear. It is only through her relationship with Lynn, as she prepares to die, that Emily begins to live again. But it is hard to compare Emily’s story to the tales of Vera and Lynn. Vera was a party girl, spending her days drinking, smoking, using drugs and sexually free. Now she is trying to live up to the high religious standards her fiancé purports to live by. Her difficulties staying on the straight and narrow did not endear me to her character, and neither did her religious fervour, which simply annoyed me.Lynn is regretful for a life she might have lived if she did not marry, have babies and stay home to support her husband. She is a miserable and cranky old woman who does nothing to engender any love from her family. But when she finally accepts Emily and encourages her to open up and tell her story, she redeems herself somewhat. Wayne writes in a very fluid and confident manner. Although the story moves back and forth through time and changes form one perspective to another, it was never confusing or grating.
    • 4/5
      For the widow Lynn, her two sons John and Luke, as well as Lukes's fiancé, Vera, and Rwandan refugee Emily, happiness were abandoned a long time ago.Secrets and hurt After Before, led them slowly and quietly into darkness. Mentally, emotionally, as well as physically, they were slowly dying because of the wounds from their respective pasts that were still mentally bleeding them dry. Luke found solace in his dedication to Jesus. It did not matter how his insecurities or strong urge to control, reflected on other people. He was the responsible one; the decision maker, the one calling the shots.John found his solution in theater and making people laugh.Lynn had her valuable porcelain collections and her paintings behind a locked door. She gave up her dreams of becoming a historical fiction writer, to fit into her late husband Philip's world and raise her two boys. She secretly treasured her own ambitions and dreams, painting it all onto multiple-colored canvasses where nobody could see them behind the locked door of her studio. Vera wanted her savior to be Luke. She wanted to start a new life after drugs, a tragedy, and a mentally abusive relationship with Charles. She wanted to be pure and good and keep her secret hidden from her family and fiancé. But the estrangement from her parents, her decision to become religious and her fear of losing Luke, brought her to a point where the silence became devastating.Emily, the Rwandan Tutsi refugee, had to endure the truth behind her mother's words: you can outrun the things outside your body, but not the truth hidden inside it. Her lonely road deeper into hell was non-negotiable. She wanted to be left alone with her sorrow in her own silent world that deafened her." And all at once, there was an alternative" which none of them ever explored until terminal cancer was diagnosed in Lynn. They were forced to open up the chest of darkness, exposing their inner turmoil to searing light. None of them was able to escape while time was running out. The resentment, hatred, insecurities and traumatic memories began their ascend towards light, towards real forgiveness and redemption.This is a powerful, intense, introspective novel. One that leaves the reader in deep reverie and retrospection. Very well written. There were gentleness, and brutality; insecurity and grace.I think of the concept 'emotionally charged' when I think back on the experience. A beautiful read. It is a book I would like to read again and can highly recommend it. However, the ending was too much of a cliffhanger in some ways, to really complete the emotional roller coaster ride. But still a very commendable read despite of it. The Rwandan genocide places this book in the historical fiction genre, since an important part of African history is highlighter in the book. I am, however, not sure if it was meant to be classified as such. But it was done brilliantly.I want to thank Legend Press, through Netgalley, for the opportunity to review this book.