From New York Times bestselling author Clare Mackintosh comes a deeply moving and page-turning novel about an impossible choice—and the two paths fate could take.“A beautifully written novel, compelling and clever, tender and true. I can’t stop thinking about it.”—Liane Moriarty“Tailor-made for book clubs and for fans of Jodi Picoult.”—Publishers Weekly Max and Pip are the strongest couple you …
Max and Pip are the strongest couple you know. They’re best friends, lovers—unshakable. But then their son gets sick and the doctors put the question of his survival into their hands. For the first time, Max and Pip can’t agree. They each want a different future for their son.
What if they could have both?
A gripping and propulsive exploration of love, marriage, parenthood, and the road not taken, After the End brings one unforgettable family from unimaginable loss to a surprising, satisfying, and redemptive ending and the life they are fated to find. With the emotional power of Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper, Mackintosh helps us to see that sometimes the end is just another beginning.
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A tough read for any parent, and particularly anyone who has gone through the illness of their child (as the author has). But Mackintosh tackles this difficult subject matter with compassion, honesty, wit and deft writing that’s moving without becoming sentimental or maudlin. I enjoyed the split narrative in the second half of the story. A good book that’s hard to put down and certainly makes you think!
Wow! If you are wanting a book that will pull at your heart, give you a sense of “mystery” & delve into the deep emotions of a married couple with an impossible choice to make, then pick this up ASAP! I absolutely loved this book & am so sad it has come to an end! Yes, the subject is an emotional one, HOWEVER, it is written so beautifully & with such clever “what if” scenarios that I was pulled into a fascinating/sad/emotional journey that I won’t soon forget! A perfect read for book clubs that will most definitely bring a lot of discussion! Written from a similar personal experience, @claremackwrites hit a home run for me & I highly recommend this beautiful read!
This book is a true account. I worked in a hospital and the pain is causes is overwhelming.
An interesting story about a couple facing the loss of their child. Giving both different endings, by alternate chapters, made me think more deeply about the difficult decisions being made. Well written, likable characters, kept me wanting to read just a bit more, every day.
I can’t imagine having to make the decision these two parents and to make. I can’t imagine how difficult that would be if you didn’t agree. The author using personal experience did a wonderful job of showing the emotions on both sides. I loved that she showed the possible outcomes of either decision a judge would have made.
Oh, the brilliant structure of this book! It’s a triumph. Truth—this isn’t something I would usually pick up. The subject is just too tough. But there is something about knowing the end and following it through both realities that made it okay for me, and the way the story was told and the people were presented was irresistible, and the author’s history also helped me to feel like I wanted to hear how she told this story.
Pip and Max’s 2.5 year old son, Dylan, suffers from a life threatening condition and tough choices must be made. But, what happens when his parents cannot agree on what that decision should be? Will the courts be forced to decide his fate? What will happen to Dylan… Pip and Max’s marriage… and their family?
The decision that had to be made by these parents was heartbreaking. The story was powerful, raw, real, and brutally honest. After all, the author was inspired to write this story after her and her husband’s own experience with their ill child. This was definitely not an easy subject to read about, but the alternate endings really made me think about what I would do in a similar situation. This book put me through an emotional wringer, causing me to shed tears numerous times. Yet. It also filled my heart with love, joy, and hope.
“She’ll say … that there are no right answers, no crystal balls. Only instinct, and hoping, and doing what feels right.”
Reminiscent of Me Before You by Jojo Moyes and books by Jodi Picoult, this one will make you consider both sides of the story. Which end would you choose? And then, after choosing that end, what would you do “After the End?”
Location: England, Illinois (Chicago), and Texas
I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Clare Mackintosh’s After the End is absolutely compulsive reading, a heart-pounding family story with a child’s life in the balance. So skilled is this author, that, just when the reader thinks there is no possible resolution, another door opens. You may think you’ve experienced medical drama before, but you haven’t, not this way.
Clare Mackintosh just broke my heart, and then she mended it again. One of the most moving stories I have ever read. It’s perfect.
Unforgettable and profoundly moving, this is a novel about the bottomless human capacity for love and endurance, even in the most heartbreaking circumstances.
Max and Pip have a deep, untenable bond and a strong marriage that they feel is sealed by fate. But when their nearly three-year-old son, Dylan, gets sick, everything they know changes. Dylan has a brain tumor, and now Pip spends her days in the PICU, while Max tries to juggle work and being strong for his wife and child. Then, the couple receives the worst of all news: the chemo isn’t helping Dylan’s tumor, and the doctors feel Dylan’s condition is terminal. Suddenly, Max and Pip find themselves on opposite sides–each wanting different medical treatment for their beloved boy.
Clare Mackintosh offers us a beautiful, poignant, and heartbreaking book based on her life experiences, having lost her own son. Knowing this makes the book even more tender and real, as each word is based on a kernel of truth. Reading this book isn’t always easy–as a parent, my heart digested these words and put myself in the shoes of Max and Pip. This book makes you think, and it makes you so incredibly grateful for your own life, wanting to snuggle your own children and hold them dear.
“How can my son be a breath away from death, when evidence of his life is all around me? When I feel him in my heart, as surely as when I carried him in my womb?”
The story is one of loss, yes, but it’s also a love story: Max and Pip, Dylan and his family, and more. We are introduced to Dylan’s family and also to Dylan’s doctor, Leila, whom I really liked. Leila has her own struggles. Her mom, Habibeh, is visiting, but won’t leave the house, preferring to watch QVC and cook endlessly for her daughter. (Habibeh is a trip; she’s awesome.) The decision of Dylan’s fate falls on Leila’s shoulders first: a lot for a young doctor to bear. We get the story through her eyes and then each of Dylan’s parents. As a mom, I felt drawn to Pip, but I liked how we got both Pip and Max’s perspectives. Each only wants what is best for their son–and, at first, each feels they are doing the right thing.
“However long you spend with someone, however well you think you know them, they can still be a stranger to you.”
Mackintosh is best known for her thrillers, and, this book is just as well-written as those. And, interestingly enough, she throws in a bit of a twist here, too. I won’t spoil it, per se, but will tell you that this book is a fascinating exploration of choices, allowing you to think about life and the various paths that everyone can take. It’s a sad book, yes, but lovely too–a tribute to parents, medical professionals, and to the children we love so much. It’s a reminder to cherish those we hold dear and that life can be short but beautiful, no matter which way it may turn out.
Overall, even though I found this difficult to read at times, I’m really glad I did. I was reminded, yet again, what a good writer Clare Mackintosh is. I’m so incredibly sorry she lost her son, and I’m in such awe that she could turn that loss into such a lovely book. I highly recommend this–it’s a beautiful exploration of life’s different paths and what fate can bring us.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Edelweiss in return for an unbiased review.
Thank you SO much @putnambooks for this gifted copy of After the End by @claremackwrites. So uniquely written, this book will break your heart into a million pieces. It’s not a story to be read in one setting, but over the course of many, as to absorb it in its entirety. We meet Max and Pip, who cannot come to agreement on the care of their dying son. A decision no parent should ever have to make. Clare Mackintosh kidnaps us, takes us into this story, makes us feel every single page is ripping apart our souls. Beautifully written. Not very often does a book sit next to me for days begging for me to read it, only to repeatedly put it down because it’s just so raw, only to pick it right back up because I needed to know where their journey takes them. This isn’t my first CM read, it won’t be my last, but I’m quite convinced it’s my favorite. Pub Date 06.25.2019 #bookstagram #claremackintosh #befortheend #putnambooks #summerreads #partner #sponsored #ad #bookstagrammer #bibliophile #instabooks #bookcommunity #booksofinstagram #arc #booksharks #bookbuzz #books #advancedreaderscopy
#bookworm #bookishnana #bookhangover
After the End will leave you thinking well after you finish the book about the wonder and fragility in our everyday lives. This is the first book by Clare Mackintosh that I have read, and I could not put it down. At times this book was not easy to read, my feelings were all over the spectrum, I went from feeling joy to deep sorrow, and everything in between. This author has dug deep in her soul to have written such a beautiful heartfelt story.
Clare Mackintosh gives us a story about two people, Pip, and Max Adams, who live a life built on love, trust, and mutual respect. Two people devoted to each other and their toddler, Dylan. They share a life where they are in sync with each other, and then tragedy strikes. Their son is diagnosed with a terminal illness. This illness is monumental, crushing, and it becomes a force all its own, turning their world upside down. Then, they are faced with making an impossible decision; do you let your child pass away with supportive care or do you do everything medically available, which will only delay the inevitable and possibly sacrifice the quality of their life? After the End addresses this very controversial, complicated issue with love and grace.
Ms. Mackintosh cleverly writes this book in two parts, “Before” and “After,” and the “Before” and “After” can be looked at in different ways. For me, it was not just about before the trial and after the trial, but moreover, it was about before the loss and after a loss how people cope when confronted with the same situation.
The “Before” part leads us through the heartbreak of finding out that Dylan has a brain tumor and is subsequently losing the fight against this horrible disease. The doctors have nothing more to offer Dylan but supportive care. However, Max doesn’t agree with this, and he finds an alternative treatment. A decision must be made on the future of Dylan’s treatment, and a lawsuit ensues between Pip and Max.
The second part of this book describes what happens “After” the court hands down their ruling. The twist that Ms. Mackintosh throws at us is the two different scenarios that come from the two different outcomes of the trial, from Pip’s point of view and alternating with Max’s point of view. Each viewpoint is giving a different perspective and where it leads their life. I enjoyed reading the two different views; each one was equally as heartbreaking: two different roads, two separate decisions, two different outcomes. This book shows us that life is full of choices, but how do you know what the correct choice is. Sometimes you never know.
When you finish this book, please read, “from the author.” I found this book at times challenging to read and was unsure of how to processes it. However, what helped me understand where this book was coming from was the “from the author” section. One thing I have always said about parenting is that; parenting is the hardest job you will ever love with your whole heart. This book, for me, was about hope and no matter what life hands us, it is always worth living it the best possible way. I highly recommend this book.
***I kindly received this galley by way of NetGalley/publisher/author. I was not contacted, asked, or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my honest opinion .***
Max and Pip have a son who they absolutely adore. At 2 years old, they find out Dylan has brain cancer. The surgery did not remove all the tumor plus it has left Dylan with some brain damage. He will never walk or talk. When Dylan’s tumor keeps growing despite the treatment, Max and Pip are on opposite sides to continue treatment or let Max die. This book is a parents worst nightmare. Would you side with Max or Pip? The story also tells what happens after with both scenarios. And shows the total devastation after losing a child. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own
This was an incredibly hard book to read and an even harder book to review. I have waited a few days to let my thoughts settle and have decided to try and write this review to help others decide if it’s something they would like to read.
I had read Ms. Macintosh’s thrillers and really loved them. I knew what this book was about but it was more thought provoking and heartbreaking than I had imagined. As you know from the blurb, two young parents disagree on the decision of whether to continue life support to their young 3 year old son. Dylan has a brain tumor which was partially resected, now growing back. It has damaged his brain beyond repair and he will never be able to walk, talk, communicate his needs and there is no hope for further improvement.
As a reader I felt that the first half of the book was stronger. We follow Pip and Max as they struggle to come to terms with the fact that their beloved son will never grow to be a normal child, never be able to lead any semblance of a normal life. Then they must make a decision that no parent should ever have to make. Their relationship and marriage are well outlined and I felt as though these character were very real described. I felt my heart ache for both of them.
The author has been through this trial, she lost one of her twin babies more than a decade ago. Perhaps this is why the hospital scenes feel so real, raw and heartbreaking. From a statement by the author: “A key location for AFTER THE END is an Intensive Care Unit. Twelve years ago I spent four months in ICU with my newborn twins. Writing the scenes set in hospital was easy because everything feels still so vivid and clear, all these years later. The beeps and whirrs of the machines, the fluorescent lighting, the smell of the anti-bac gel…a sensory overload I translated into words.”
The second half of the book gives us two possible court decisions and what Pip and Max’s life might be like after either decision, to take Dylan off of life support or to allow his father to take him to the US for a type of radiation treatment.
The second half of the book was a much slower read for me. Much of the dialogue seemed repetitive from one thread to the other and at times it was difficult to follow the back and forth between the two separate scenarios. I think I would have preferred one outcome to be established with the reader left with the thought of “what if the ruling had gone the other way?”
I can definitely recommend this book but warn that there are some very descriptive elements of severely ill children which may be hard for some people to read. It is well written and covers a subject which is very pertinent in our world of ever increasing technological developments in the medical field.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss. This was a Traveling Sisters read.