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After The Ending (The Ending Series, #1): A Post-Apocalyptic Romance

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Though I felt each parent's pain, and fear, and doubt, in the author's own words.."this is not a story about loss, but about hope. Hope for the future, for a life beyond an unavoidable tragedy." This is the story of Max and Pip- two parents who love each other but who love their son Dylan more. Pip and Max need to face the hardest decision of their lives. Their son Dylan has an incurable brain tumor. With choices limited, the physicians recommend palliative care, to allow their dear son to pass with dignity. But another option found is a groundbreaking treatment half-way across the world. And it may give Dylan just a little more time. But at what cost? I listened to this audiobook on a road trip and will admit to sobbing at times while in my car - I cannot imagine what passerby’s must have thought of me. Admittedly, I felt more for Pip than Max. I found Max to be selfish and just wanted to shake him.. and yet at the end of the novel I had a better grasp as to where he was coming from. The second half of the book is, as the title suggests, after. After the judge makes a decision, the author explores two different outcomes: one in which the judge sides with the mother, and one in which the judge sides with the father. It was thought-provoking to examine the ramifications and consequences of either decision. I’m certain anyone who has made such a heart-wrenching decision has moments of doubt and wondering “what-if”. I had them with my elderly parents and know they would be even stronger when it's your child.

After The End is a heartbreaking, painful issue-driven story that explores an unthinkable, impossible and unimaginable decision with no right answers, our main characters here parents Pip and Max are left to make after their son Dylan is diagnosed with a brain tumour.I felt that hope too.....as the book ends on a POSITIVE note, not a sad one..no matter which parent you side with, and despite the difficult subject of a toddler who is dying. The opening at the court room and their painful visits to the intensive care for their two year old child were heart ripping, hard to digest parts of the book. This was different kind of thriller writing. Because it is real, it is about our worst nightmares. WHAT IF something happens to our children? WHAT IF it is too lately diagnosed and there is nothing to do to save your loved one! What IF your partner in crime could turn into your worst enemy because you got big conflicts to decide your child’s life! A family torn apart during an impossible time. Palliative care or alternative treatment? That is the question.

I was prepared for an emotional read but this story hit me harder than I expected. This is not a novel I will soon forget.This is a thought-provoking book which may be difficult for some to read. Even sadder is that the Author herself, lost a child. While reading this book, I often wondered if this was an emotionally challenging book to write or if it was a cathartic experience. A powerful exploration of grief, love and the way in which all decisions – both large and small – can have life-changing results. (Jill Santopolo, New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost and More Than Words) Everyone has an opinion, yet the truth is that no one can really know what is right. No one can predict the future, and so all we can do is make a decision based on the facts we have, and—sometimes on what our heart tells us.” Thank you to Edelweiss, G.P. Putnam & Suns & Penguin Publishing Sons and to Claire McIntosh for the arc.

However, when I got to the second half of the story things seemed to fall apart as the story seemed disjointed and some things that occurred just didn't make sense. It was in this section of the story, that I became disappointed. I wasn't sure of what the author was trying to say and where she was taking me. Was she trying to say that marriages, even ones overflowing with love, never survive a crisis such as a loss of a child? Was she trying to say that life goes on, but perhaps not in the way you had first envisioned it to be? I am not sure. As the telling jumped from the various scenarios, I found myself sometimes at a loss as to who or what this chapter was about. There were also characters who appeared and while should have been a relevant part of the story really weren't developed into the tale. Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. 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.” Pip and Max are an amazing couple. He is from the US, she from England. They met on a plane, settled in England, are best friends, deeply in love, worked out their work schedules and happily created their little home and family. I was planning to give three stars to this book. But I hit my hand( actually I bite my fingers, too) to stop myself and asked me what the hell I'm doing? I know this is not the book I waited for but if it’s best way for the author to share her feeling by ripping a wounded piece from her heart and pouring her insecurities without giving a second thought are the bravest things that not much people can manage.I know this writer is genius, I know what she has dome to me when I was reading “I let you go”! I talked gibberish for one week at least and lost my face expressions, looked like a botox addict after her big twist punched me several times, so this is not the surprising, smartly written book I desired and wished to read! The first half of the book is mostly “Before” – the life of a loving couple Max and Pip and their adorable toddler son Dylan. Tragically, Dylan’s health takes a dreadful turn and the prognosis is terrible for his future and damaged brain. The doctors recommend taking Dylan off life support as there doesn’t seem to be a way for him to recover and have a pain-free life. The big twist is that both parents have to agree to this course of action. One parent wants to seek an alternative treatment in the US (that would just extend his life, not cure him) while the other parent agrees with the doctor. It is up to the courts to decide Dylan’s fate. After the End” was a uniquely written and thought-provoking novel. I was a little confused at first when reading the "After" chapters but once I caught on it all made sense. I was gripped by this heart-wrenching read. Dylan has a tumor which could not be completely removed, and it is growing again. His brain damage is irreparable, and if he lives, he will not walk or talk, or be able to communicate his needs.

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