Afterwards

by Rachel Seiffert

Rachel Seiffert’s first book, The Dark Room, shortlisted for the Booker Prize, announced the arrival of a major writer; Afterwards fulfills that promise with a stunning novel about war and its brutal after-effect.

Alice is the protagonist of Afterwards, but this book is about the guilt harboured by people around her. There are two men in her life: her maternal grandfather, David, recently widowed, and her boyfriend, Joseph, each of whom keeps his past from his loved ones. David served in Kenya during the Mau Mau rebellion; Joseph, during a stint in the British army, served in Northern Ireland. Both, we learn, live with the memory of having killed in the line of duty.

As Alice’s relationship with Joseph develops, she senses there is something about his past that he keeps hidden. This is particularly galling given the personal and emotional details she has revealed to him (namely, that Alice has never met her father, and her attempts to establish an epistolary relationship with him in adulthood foundered). After her grandmother’s death, Alice finds the time spent with her grandfather awkward. She doesn’t know him the way she did her grandmother, but feels obliged to visit and offer support. Gradually, it emerges that David’s cold manner is traceable to events in Kenya, where he and his wife met. And as Alice tries to get to the bottom of Joseph’s reticence, a series of heated family discussions brushes ever closer to David’s secrets.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, British Literature, Literary Fiction, Novels, 21st Century

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Rachel Seiffert is one of Virago’s most critically acclaimed contemporary novelists. Her first book, The Dark Room, (2001) was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and made into the feature film Lore. In 2003, she was named one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists, and in 2011 she received the EM Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Field Study, her collection of short stories published in 2004, received an award from PEN International. Her second novel, Afterwards (2007) third novel The Walk Home (2014), and fourth novel A Boy in Winter (2017), were all longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Her books have been published in eighteen languages.

Seiffert’s subject is ordinary lives in extraordinary times. Her characters have included the 12-year-old daughter of an SS officer in 1945, a Polish seasonal worker on a German asparagus farm after the fall of the iron curtain, and – most recently – a young Ukrainian man faced with the choice between resistance and collaboration during the Nazi occupation.

Rachel Seiffert has taught creative writing at Goldsmiths College and Glasgow University, and delivered seminars at the Humboldt University Berlin, Manchester University, and the Faber Academy in London, amongst others; she is a returning tutor at the Arvon Foundation. Her particular interest is teaching writing in schools, delivering workshops for the East Side Side Educational Trust in Hackney, Wellington College in Berkshire, and a number of state secondaries in south east London. She is currently Writer in Residence at Haseltine School in SE26, and works with First Story at St Martin in the Fields Secondary in Tulse Hill.

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author chooses a note-like style, and dialogue is signalled by dashes. This has the effect of enfolding everything into a continuous whole of connected thought, word and deed as the characters seem to engage in a dance around each other. It has an almost hypnotic effect and kept me reading, although having read other reviews, I can see it's not for everyone. Occasionally the structure falters from lack of direction.

In this pared-down language Sieffert builds up the story of the relationship that grows between Alice, a physiotherapist, and Joseph, a decorator and plasterer. Around these two characters a cast of friends and relatives circle, lives touched on with careful detail to build up the sense of an interconnected community - down at the snooker hall and pub, in and out of each other's houses, walking in the countryside, dipping in and out if each other's concerns. The narrative revolves around what is said and what is not, and people's sensitivities and moods. Things move tentatively as characters slowly reveal themselves to us and each other.

Through the medium of this style and background Sieffert examines the after-effects of the trauma and guilt carried by soldiers. Alice's grandfather is a veteran from the RAF, having served in Kenya during the Mau Mau rebellion. Joseph has served in Northern Ireland. We see how both are affected by memories and knowledge of their times and are drawn to examine the complexity of their reactions - the 'Afterwards' of the title - and the national legacies of conflict.

Seiffert's portrait makes the small community she describes seem typical as she builds up detail upon detail to make a rich fabric of a recognisable ordinariness shot through with the extraordinary that exists within. The links from the individual's history to the national history resonate; the ripples move across a still surface. This is another masterful piece of writing from the author of 'The Dark Room'.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was
Confusing
to read this story

-on my Kindle.
-Where?
-wherever I wanted to read. It was on my Kindle.

And I took it with me wherever I went until I was either done or didn't want to take it with me anymore. Done with the story, that is.

Huh?! Yes now let me change characters in the middle of whatever I was going to say so you really are not able to follow oh and by the way I forgot to mention I am also going to change timelines on you so you don't know until you are done reading this section if I meant it as earlier before the last scene with these characters or later after and even later than something that happened that I haven't told you about.

-Now that I think upon it further, maybe 1 star?

[Val Robson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this book and only persevered to the end as I kept thinking that something was going to happen to engage me in the story and characters...but it never did.

It tells the story of a new relationship between Alice and Joseph. Joseph had served with the Army in Northern Ireland and suffered with PTSD which still causes him problems years later. Alice's grandfather was in Kenya with the RAF when the Mau Mau uprising was happening. He had also seen some very traumatic things.

There is really no plot other than Alice meets Joseph and they do normal things like visit family members. Joseph spends much for the book painting Alice's grandfather's house and the narrative feels quite like watching paint dry at times.

I didn't like the writing style. All speech is preceded by a dash with no quote marks or indication of who said what. Often several lines of speech all preceded by a dash. Many times I had to re-read the previous paragraph and then work out who started the conversation and assume that it was one line each. It was a tedious way of reading a book.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to give this novel 5 stars to counteract the appalling negative reviews that are extremely undeserved.

From the very first page the characters of Joseph and Alice captured my heart. Seiffert's writing is unshowy, lean and accurate - essentially the sort of writing that is currently out of fashion as over-similied, florid writing seems to be more popular on the bestseller list.

Anyone who remembers the dark days of the IRA and the hell of Belfast, the bombings in London, Birmingham and elsewhere. The conflict on the border between Northern ireland and Eire. And for those who are clueless wondering what all the fuss is about with Brexit then read this to learn the human cost of that particular endless conflict.

This is a very human, very emotional read but in a subtle drawn-back way that has truth on every page. Seiffert is a superb novelist and I really hope that her latest A Boy in Winter - even more extraordinary read than this one - I hope that novel at least makes the short list of the Women's Fiction Prize.

[Moore Flannery · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short, quiet novel- about the reverberations of the past on relationships. Specifically, two relationships in one family- one old, married and established, and one youthful, fledgling. Both relationships are shown trying to accommodate the effects of unspoken, briefly sketched military experiences. The historic events are only lightly outlined, but loop inevitably around death, causing death, and how that stays with a man, after leaving the collective responsibility cloak of the army. How you then conduct yourself will alter the course of all the lives that follow.

Rachel Seiffert's eye for situation is very good, ordinary, well drawn. Plasterers, pubs, gardens, beaches. There is real pathos in her various handling of the questions- 'should you seek to know or leave it in the past?'. Some questions do bring change and movement. Although the narrative perspective lollops uncomfortably between Alice and Joseph, you learn to live with it by the end.

Why only three stars and not four? It's really tricky- but so little happens, and it's important to the story that all events have a muteness and uncertainty around them - does ANYTHING happen for a reason? - that it's impossible to get a fix on a character or a plot line and care. It's like a Gwen John painting this book, peaceful and clear in its entirety, showing a need for order. However, the whole is made of mosaic broken pieces, in 'closely relating tones' so actually reading it is a slightly frustrating experience.

[Johen Lvinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here again, I have my evidence, this time on the contrary way, that this is the Book who builds the writer and not the other way around. I read the writer's first book, and I enjoyed it. Now that I was reading her second one, I was disappointed.
It is indeed a readable book with the potential for an excellent story, but it is falling in the level of the writer's first novel. Too bad, this is one more time that I witness how detrimental it is for "young writers" to win prizes for their first book.

And yet for the book itself - it is a love story between two people, each carrying something from the past. A story about traumas and their effect on life: despite my immediate interest in everything written about Ireland, especially about its wars in the 20th century, this book didn't interest me.

Maybe it's just because I never cared less about what happened "later" nor how good was another book of the same writer, or perhaps it's just that (and I'm apologetic) this book is boring.

[Gwyn Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was one that I simply could not put down and read in one day, even getting up after I had gone to bed to finish it! It is one of those books that one keeps thinking about after the last page has been read and the book put away...
It shows the effects of war/violence on soldiers in different conflicts at different times and places and how it impacts on the relationships these men make, even many years later.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't really like the book. Never got invested in the characters and felt that the ending really petered out. Also, I had trouble with the "non-quotations." There was no introductory remarks when the characters spoke and you just had to figure out who was say what. A real non-starter for me. At least it was short! :D

[Alison Hardtmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice meets Joseph and they begin to see each other. It's a cautious relationship between two ordinary people. Alice is concerned about her recently widowed grandfather and wishes he was more willing to talk about his time serving in Kenya during the Mau Mau uprising. Joseph is maybe not as talkative as she's like, but he's kind, even going over to paint her grandfather's house. Joseph was also in the British army and served in Northern Ireland. An incident there replays often in his mind and he struggles with PTSD, which he handles by disappearing for weeks at a time, a behavior that wreaks havoc on both his employment history and on his relationships.

This is a tonally quiet novel and manages to maintain that air of calm even when both men's experiences are being described. What comes across vividly, though, is how deeply both men have been adversely affected by their experiences. Rachel Seiffert writes so well and so subtly about her characters that I would have happily read another few hundred pages.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the way this was written, in starts and stops that perfectly evoked the characters' various (failed) attempts to communicate. At the heart of the story is Alice, who brings together two army vets: her grandfather, who fought in the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya in the fifties, and her boyfriend, Joseph, who was stationed in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. These two conflicts might sound very different, but both involve widely acknowledged oppression (and atrocities) perpetrated by the British army, and both David and Joseph are dealing with unexpressed guilt over the parts they played.

Seiffert builds up the tension beautifully as the novel unfolds, somehow making the reader (well, me, anyhow) sympathise with two very difficult, impenetrable characters. I felt for Alice, who desperately wants to understand what has been done, and who seems to be missing information from almost everyone in her life. Sometimes, of course, there are good reasons for this, but it does give her a motive to dig and prod in places that are perhaps better left.

I found myself slightly frustrated by the ending: there was resolution, but not enough of it for my tastes. But I'd still recommend it as a good, quick read that is also literary and thoughtful.

[Neil Campbell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dreadful. This is without a doubt the most boring, self regarding, exploitative, pretentious 'novel' I've ever started and never finished, unable to stomach the portentous chasms between paragraphs, twee faux realism, trips to the offie, pee in the toilet bowl, blah, complete with class war, humble teachers, posh grandad officer types talking in clipped accents, the plasterer, ex Northern Ireland havoc, painter and decorator, even the Yorkshire Dales, in which I happen to live.
This 'creative writer' holds boring old, good-enough-for-Conrad conventions, like quotation marks and coherence in narrative in lofty disregard and has nothing to put in its place, certainly not content. I blame Bukovski. If this is the traditionally-published, hailed, British novel, heaven help us all. Major writer? Oh, please.
Why are Booker, Man Booker, Orange, the whole sad parade so desperately unreadable? Fortunately, there is another shore, the self-published work of art, of which there are myriad. Thank God for KDP, Smashwords . . .

[Jennifer Pack · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Afterwards" is a seemingly quiet, uncluttered novel. However, some serious themes are being tackled within it's plainly written pages. Themes such as memory, the emotional aftermath of war, broken families, and the complexity of relationships. I liked Seifert's portrait of Alice and Joseph, a couple falling in love. As they guardedly reveal themselves to each other, we also meet their families and learn their histories. This is not a plot-driven novel, but more a window into a new relationship that is learning the nuances of its participants. It is a window through which we see Alice, a woman mourning the loss of a beloved grandmother and learning how to relate to her gruff grandfather. We see Joseph, a painter/plasterer who is morally and emotionally suffering from his memories of being a soldier in Northern Ireland. The two must learn to understand the past in order to be fully in the present. A good read that has many layers beneath the surface.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both Afterwards and Seiffert's Booker Prize listed series of novellas in The Dark Room, focus on the powerful and often crippling effects of war on the psyche. Most particularly she seems interested in that which goes unstated yet lives like a roiling abscess waiting shower its poison every which way. The female protagonist, Alice, in Aftermath is very much like Micha in the The Dark Room: both insist on prodding the abscess until it bursts.

For me, The Dark Room is the more powerful work of fiction. Here, Seiffert's lyrical prose manages to be both spare and incredibly descriptive. Her story telling pierces a nerve. Her prose in Aftermath lacks that lyricism and emotional intensity. That said, Seiffert is exploring territory in Aftermath that needs to be excavated - the corrosive effects that colonialism had on those who were sent/chosen to uphold it.

[Darshan Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

More a 3.5 than a 4, this novel weaves together seemingly disparate histories of British militarism in Kenya (1950s) and Ireland (1990s). What I most loved about this book is its approach to memory, gender, and trauma. Questions, it suggests, can be posed, but truth, especially personal truth, is elusive. I also appreciated how the author explored the human costs of militarism through the prism of romance. In this novel, stilted relationships between women and their warrior partners convey the banality of imperial relations.

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I clicked on the its amazing button because it is an unusual book in that what is not said is important. It is surprisingly gentle for the topic. Not gentle in a soft sense but in a subtle sense. In music the rests are important and in painting the empty spaces and edges are important. In a similar way what has been left out of this prose is engaging. This book asks many questions that are realistic to love relationships and does not withdraw from the truth of the mystery of each individual life.

[Agnes Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book a bit tiresome and difficult to follow. At first I liked the characters of Joseph and Alice and their understated romance. Alice has had little or no contact with her father, Joseph served in Northern Ireland and suffers from PTSD. I kept reading in the hope that something would happen and nothing really did. Too much was made of how each character reacted or failed to react to things said.

[Paltia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost unbearably sad as it hits so close to home. How war wrecks, ruins, and destroys so much. So much more than is ever gained. Rachel Seiffert tells this story in gentle tones. I dare say it can even feel cozy at times. It lulls you into believing and hoping and thinking there just might be a way. Devastating ending but, oh so very true to life. Tissues please.

[Lilanthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copying the Book Blurb to remember –
"When Alice and Joseph meet, they fall quickly into a tentative but serious relationship; both are still young and hopeful of each other, but each brings with them an emotional burden. Alice’s family is full of absences and Joseph harbors an unspeakable secret from his time in the army in Northern Ireland.
When Alice’s widowed grandfather begins to tell Joseph about his RAF experiences in 1950s Kenya, something still raw is tapped in Joseph, his reaction to the older man’s unburdening of guilt is both unexpected an devastating for them all."
The story begins as a quaint love story. A wonderful world where Alice and Joseph are sensitive to thoughts and feelings (both spoken and more often unspoken) of each other and those who cross their paths in life. A quality I often lament the lack of, in those around me.
All too soon though, as the rosy tint of novelty fades, things become difficult. Thinking too much of what the other would say / think, becomes a hindrance to speaking your mind, it becomes the barrier that causes the rift. It prevents opening out of oneself & getting close to someone.
The first seeds of doubt are sown in the minds of the lovers.
There are two sides to the coin though: It sure is no fun feeling shut out by another. It hurts and is humiliating especially when it is done by someone you love (and you think loves you)
Then again – the horrors of war, “what kind of person comes out with peace of mind and can actually feel free to talk about it? The consolation is, that it is far better to know he feels something (although unable to say it) than nothing!
“To love someone, need you know everything about them?”
"Afterwards" is about invisible borders. The hard held Irish border, the border between lovers, between generations, between the past and present!"

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a quick review for this one: having recently read Seiffert’s new novel A Boy in Winter, (see my review) I decided to hunt out a copy of her 2007 novel, Afterwards.  Like A Boy in Winter and The Dark Room, Afterwards explores guilt and moral responsibility, but the context is different to Seiffert’s WW2 novels.  Former soldier Joseph is struggling with the aftermath of events in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, and David, the grandfather of his girlfriend Alice, is haunted by what happened in Kenya during the Mau Mau Uprising (1952–60).
Alice is surrounded by people who keep their secrets to themselves.  Her mother never married her father, and Alice has had no contact with him.  It’s not something they talk about.  Her grandfather is also reticent, not just about his service in Kenya but also about the circumstances of his marriage – which was a scandal at the time because his wife had been married before and there was stigma attached to divorce at that time.  And Joe, slowly forging a comfortable relationship with Alice, has learned to manage what is surely PTSD by withdrawing from everything – including his work and his friendships.  Alice is remarkably patient when Joe suddenly disappears out of her life without explanation: she spends a lot of time mulling over the best ways to get these secrets out in the open.  She really wants to make this complicated relationship work.
So this is a quiet, meditative sort of novel, with a slow build up of tension. 

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2017/12/17/a...

[Ashley Church · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impulsively bought this book when I was in New Hampshire with my mom and sister. There’s just something about her story telling that scratched a part of my brain. I think this author is from Glasgow (maybe Dublin?) and she falls into that sally rooney cannon of writers that capture such simple human experiences and make them feel profound. Be ware: this is basically about a situationship. BUT ITS SOOO GOOD!

[Frances · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a difficult, but thought-provoking read. The central character, Alice, is likeable and we can empathise with her as she tries to forge a more meaningful relationship with her recently bereaved grandfather, as well as new boyfriend, Joseph. Both men seem closed off in many ways as they struggle with events they have experienced in the military.

[Richard Fursland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another masterful, evocative, subtle, succinct evocation, by Seiffert, of a time/place and the people limited (and on occasion, enriched) by their histories. No good guys/bad guys, gratuitous adjectives, enhancements of mood/character or soft soap. Also a jumpy, narrative style that suited the narrative perfectly.

[Bialey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars. I can see how this wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea but I found it quite moving and am still thinking about it several days later. Damn politicians who send other people to war!

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked up as a punt, never having heard the name before, this turned out to be an unexpected delight. A straightforward tale of relationships, but beautifully told with all due complexities and nuances.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took a while to get used to the writing style but compelling once I did. A poignant story about PTSD. I both liked and was disappointed by the lack of a fairytale ending for the characters. An interesting take on the challenges of returning to civilian life.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

it kinda feels like a victim of the 300-Page Novel format. it's a deeply engaging, sympathetic portrayal of Alice's life and family, weighed down by a Deep Secrets that feels tacked on and doesn't get enough space to be satisfying.

[Chris Waterford · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this really slow---and then I was waiting for the blow up (back cover)---and then started skimming pages to get there faster. When I finally got there it didn't seem that significant after all. It was a good story but it didn't grab me or hold me.
5.5/10

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not great. I liked the ideas behind it but I didn't always engage me

[Bindu Vinod · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally the objective of the book is to “let go” , do not regret (my opinion) Was unable to understand why the book talks less about her (Alice) and indeed more about her grandparents.

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

PTSD explored but the story did not grab me. Parallel stories of war service, her boyfriend and her grandfather. Not enough depth of any character.