After the Fall

by Judith Kelman

A family is torn apart when their son, Danny Magill, a handome, athletic, studious teenager, is arrested for a shocking crime, in a stunning psychological novel that explores the issues of guilt and innocence and the ties that bind a family together. Reissue.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Suspense, Crime, Thriller

432 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Lizardhands · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay. Short version: A cast of unlikable characters make any number of stupid, unbelievable decisions over the course of an anticlimactic court case which drags and drags while the characters wring their hands and fret. Also, Dr. Lee Chow speaks in pidgin English and has "Asian honor". If you want an engaging mystery about the horrors of discovering a close relative has committed a terrible crime, this is NOT the book for you.

The long version is more of a rant than a review and it's more for me to vent than anything.


First, what was up with that prologue? I still can't understand why two parents would go out in the middle of the night to bury a box of printouts and assorted records when they could've easily taped it up and put it in the attic, or through a shredder if they really meant to dispose of it. (You could argue that they wanted later access to it without the possibility of other people stumbling across it, but given that their son had been vindicated, I just can't make sense of them holding onto it.) But this book was full of characters acting strangely and making bizarrely stupid choices. Multiple characters whipped out guns and brandished them at inappropriate times. (For example, Stanley, an armed security guard, escorting Tucci at gunpoint off the property and threatening to accidentally blow his brains out. Also, Tucci jabbing Charlie in the throat with his gun when confronted in the hospital. These characters had no business being armed.)

Something that really annoyed me in the beginning was that Jess had her patient take time out of her day and drive all the way to an appointment for the sole purpose of telling her she recommended she see a different therapist. Then it was revealed that Jess apparently divulges private information about her clients, including their names, to her husband on the regular. What, no patient confidentiality in 1999?

I should also mention that the story progressed at a snail's pace, up until the final bit where the author seemed eager to be done with everything. Characters plodded around fretting for most of the novel. Tucci was a useless detective and the resolution of his daughter's illness was anticlimactic and abrupt. Tucci's partner, "Mule", was unnecessary and unbelievable. Is the reader really supposed to believe that no one once questioned his absence over several months? It was implied that he was still receiving wages despite living on his couch for the duration.

I think the most infuriating aspect of the book was that the case ends with the girl, Lisa, admitting she lied, everyone rejoices that Danny is free to go, and Lisa gets to return to life with her practicing pedophile father who lusts after her body, and no one has to think about it further. I won't even go into how awful it is that this book embraces the "the girl is lying and ruining the future of this great perfect privileged teen with her lying whore lies" narrative, and instead move on to the problem of the characters discovering Leo Beningson rapes children in Cambodia, and then just shrugging it off after using it to pressure him (behind the scenes) in court. So, no one is going to pursue that? Okay.

If Ryan's wheelchair was so heavy and bulky, how did Danny drive him home in a Mustang convertible? What were the Magills doing driving around in a car that should've been impounded as forensic evidence? (I am making assumptions here, I don't know how long police would hold onto a vehicle if the vehicle is the crime scene.)

And why wouldn't Tucci know that Charlie had made amends with his mother? I can't imagine Tucci's mom wouldn't say "Remember that horrible boy? He came and apologised to me and now he's a loyal customer".

And, um, Jess, are you seriously not alarmed by what Danny did to Molly when he was nine? Do you really think that's typical childish curiosity? Do you really?

I could go on but it's time to have a sandwich. I hated this book. I'm mad about it.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure where to start describing the train wreck that is After The Fall. The characters were unrealistic and unsympathetic, the story was bogged down with unnecessary detail (mostly about the mother, who's a therapist, and her many issues) and a snails pace. More than once during the story I felt myself wishing it would just be over already.

I won't spend much time discussing this novel as it is not worth the effort, but I will mention a few of the most obnoxious elements.

Firstly I find it shocking that a police officer is mentioned in the 'author's acknowledgments' section. I can't imagine any police officer anywhere approving of the portrayal of law enforcement in this novel. The first officer who talked to Danny, terrified a 17 year old high school student into confessing after he asked for his parents which was a clear violation of his rights. When Tucci takes over the case (without the suppressed statement) he decides Danny Magill is guilty because of his last name and the fact that Tucci didn't like Charles Magill from their high school days. Not once after taking over the case does he bother to talk to Danny, the suspect. He never once tries to get Danny's side of the story. But he is beyond a bumbling cop. He defrauds the city by pretending that his partner 'Mule' is on the job when he hasn't been for months. His superior officer is made out to be a hard-ass and a "bad guy" when the superior officer seems to be the only one upholding the law. He turns the first cop over to IA for his unethical and illegal conduct with Danny, he demands accountability from Mule and Tucci, and he wants hard facts in the Magill case. In fact it is strange at the end that he demands Tucci suppress the evidence against Bennington. Throughout the book the superior officer had done things by the book even though he thought Magill was guilty he wanted evidence and was understandably frustrated with the worthless duo of Tucci and Mule. So his demanding Tucci suppress the evidence about Bennington was out of character. Either way the police are portrayed horribly in this novel.

Of course the rest of the characters aren't any better. The mother, Jess, has a myriad of issues so naturally she is a therapist. Her issues with her own mother and her worries about her parenting style took up too much of the book and didn't add to the narrative. She was not a sympathetic character at all. The dad, Charles, is an awful character himself. He immediately doubts his son's innocence, which stems from the fact that as a teenager he himself participated in the gang rape of an unconscious girl. During the course of the book he rapes his wife while drunk. (Which is treated strangely. While it is happening Jess considers it rape and wonders if her son is like his father - later she very specifically tells her husband it wasn't rape...). Danny is revealed to be at least a partially decent character, but the revelations come hundreds of pages into the story. At the outset the reader is not given enough information to decide if he is guilty or innocent. His intense and all consuming guilt about his friend Ryan's accident was unrealistic. He was again an unsympathetic character. Literally none of the characters were sympathetic or well written.

The story wasn't well done either. After the first interview with the Bennington family, it was clear from the overbearing father that he was involved and it was frustrating that it took the rest of the book for them to figure that out. It was unrealistic that the police would immediately believe the girl when in the real world it is much harder for rape victims to be taken seriously. It also didn't make sense that Tucci hated Magill for his money and decided that Danny was guilty but didn't have any issues with Bennington and his mansion.

There is so much more I could say about the many problems with this book but I wasted enough of my time just reading the thing.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The middle class Magill family is composed of academic father Charlie, psychotherapist mother Jess, high school senior Danny, 13 year old Molly and nine year old Max. Danny has good grades, looks, and athletic ability and is preparing for college until the night he is accused of rape. The book describes the heartache and struggles the family goes through as the trial nears. And it turns out the cop investigating the crime concurrently has to deal with serious medical problems of his daughter who goes to school with Danny.

I've been reading books by Kelman since the 1980s. Although I've forgotten many of the specifics, I recall several of her books were very good and I've been trying to find those to add to my collection. I didn't find this one to be particularly suspenseful but I was reminded of the way Kelman draws a reader into her stories.

[Sandy Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prologue: It's the middle of the night and Jess and Charlie Magill, a prominent family (of 5) in an affluent town, are burying a box of remains that could never be brought to light, leaving a question as we become engrossed in the story. Their son Dan is accused of rape. The original detective on the case was out to get him because he had lost a similar case due to his botched paperwork. Huppert wants a conviction. Detective Tucci replaced him. He has a bone to pick with the whole family plus his own daughter, the victim's age, was dying. The boss at the precinct wants this case settled quickly and Danny found guilty. The neighbors want the family out of the neighborhood even before their son is hopefully jailed. Their are major surprises as various resources are used to uncover the truth.

[Lana Bradstream · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent beach read. The story Kelman created was great. I went back and forth with whether or not Danny was guilty of rape. I considered many times how I would think and what impact it would have on my family if my son was accused of rape. I kept eagerly anticipating turning the next page to learn more about the effects. However, the last fourth of the book felt hurried and there were quite a few strings Kelman does not tie back up. I closed the book with some disappointment. If the character development and the story was not done so well, I would give this book a lower rating.

[Aribear23 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over all I liked the story. I do feel that the ending was rushed and not as detailed as I would have liked unfortunately.

[Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ster. Erg langzaam begin.

[Dana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tucci is this book's saving grace, otherwise I wouldn't have cared to finish it.

[Waven · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfectly average middle-class family well-rehearsed in its routines and outlook is rudely awakened one night. And their lives will never be the same. Oldest son Danny is accused of rape and has no good defense. The accuser is a long-time friend of the family, a girl from a wealthy family with a good reputation. Suddenly another claim is filed against Danny and an already divided town splits further and deeper. As sentiment turns and the trial nears, tensions begin to tear the family apart. But this story is about more than the ties that bind and the struggle to hold a family and a marriage together in the face of tragedy. It is also about prejudice and grudges, responsibility and mistakes; it is about the court system; and it is about the fragility of justice. This is an easy read, a good page-turner (I finished it in two sittings), and covers a subject I think too many writers shy away from. My biggest complaints were that it ended too soon and didn't go deep enough. I give it four stars and two thumbs up.

[Jen Peters · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Good book, but the ending was so unfinished I honestly assume the author's due date was cut short by the publishing company and she only had time to put together a ten pager finishing what she needed to. So many questions were left unanswered, and something brought up at the end of the book was never even explained (the mother and the mysterious hospital visit). Was the molester ever charged?

[Clint · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book appears to have been written by an author who went to a "How To Write Novels" class at the local community center, where she was told that it's very important to describe everything in minute detail, from the floor in the police station to a dog's desire for food. The story itself is not too bad, but the ending is foreseeable (and one particular details mars the satisfaction of the ending).

[Missy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book #18 read in 2007

I don't know what to think of this book. I liked the story, but there was so much unnecessary information included as well. It slowed the story down. I also feel the ending was not complete. I wanted reactions from some of the neighbors and people who had been so mean. I may pick up another from this author, but I'm not sure.

[Kjerstin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best things about this book:
character development, especially of Jess Magill and Detective Tucci.
she didn't end the book as expected

Worst things about this book:
the ending feels WAY unfinished.
some plot lines just died out without any reason for them to have been therein the first place

[Marianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

EH, first time with this author.
Too many loose ends to the plot. In my opinion, I thought some of the characters were over drawn.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good book

[Jake Moody · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was ok...the build up was good, but everything resolved itself very quickly in the last 30 pages. Also...don't know how realistic the kids guilt is with the accident.

[Jessica Zoop · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't bear to waste more of me life finishing this book. All of the characters are too stupid, venal, or biased to bear.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent book

[songbird72 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't waste your time!