After

After
By Amy Efaw
Viking, 2009. 350 pgs. Fiction

Fifteen-year-old Devon is a straight A student, star soccer player, and super responsible. So how is it that she hid a pregnancy for nine months and then, after giving birth all alone in her bathroom, throws the baby out with the trash? After being arrested and put in a juvenile detention center, Devon has to come to terms with what she did and why.

Amy Efaw has tackled an extremely difficult topic in this very well written book. Devon is an intriguing main character--although you know from the start that she's done something horrific, the opportunity to get inside her head shows that she's more than just a baby killer; she's a person, with hopes, dreams, and fears just like anyone else. There's so much to ponder here--and a lot to discuss with others who may read the book. As I said, it's a difficult topic but it's a wonderful book--one that made me wish there was another hundred pages to dig deeper into the topic.

AE