The Beginning of After

The Beginning of After
By Jennifer Castle
HarperTeen, 2011. 425 pgs. Young Adult

In a single moment, Laurel's entire life changes. Her father, mother, and brother are killed in a car accident, along with their neighbor, Mrs. Kaufman, and the driver of the vehicle, Mr. Kaufman, is in a coma. As Laurel is trying to deal with losing her whole family and trying to establish normalcy (or decide if it's even okay to try to have a normal life), she keeps crossing paths with the Kaufmans' son, David, who infuriates her but also understand her pain better than anyone else does.

This book was really well done. Laurel is a sympathetic and likable narrator, and her grief and process of healing is realistically portrayed. This is a great choice for fans of contemporary realistic fiction.

AE