After the Death of Alice Bennett

by Rowland Molony

Before mum died, she told Sam that she would always be with him. On the day of mum's cremation, his sister Becky receives a text from a 'Thinking about you. X' Sam becomes convinced that the text is from their mother. Imagine if he could text back?!
When he finds mum's mobile phone and a 'contact number' in her handwriting, Sam his heart pounding, sends a message. It is received by a kind but lonely lorry driver, Tony.
Unthinkingly, Tony responds. Before he knows it, the boy is texting regularly, and Tony is replying.
Sam thinks he's in contact with mum and forms a plan. He's going to find her and bring her back for Christmas.
By the time Tony realises what's happening, he can't bring himself to tell Sam that it's not his mother on the end of the phone, but neither can he just stop texting or, worse, let the child turn up. He also realises that he's come to rely on Sam's messages because they make him feel less alone.
As Sam sets out on his journey, Tony must try to find him. But how will he explain to this little boy that his mother is really dead? And how will Sam cope when confronted with the truth?

Paperback

First published January 4, 2007

Reviews

[Ugnė Lukošienė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tikrai labai graži istorija apie mamos netektį vaiko akimis, siela, širdimi..Gal kažkurioje vietoje man truputį kai ko pritrūko, kiek gilesnio Tonio paaiškinimo vaikui apie mamos išėjimą, švelnesnio prisistatymo vaikui, bet manau taip buvo atspindėta jo pačio asmenybė...
Manau ši knyga labai vertinga jauniems vaikams, paaugliams nes pasakojama apie netektis, su kuriomis dažnai būna per sunku susitaikyti.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

'After The Death of Alice Bennett' made it into the last 20 in the Richard and Judy First Novel competition - there were over 54,000 entries. Rowland Molony then withdrew his novel as he wanted it to be published independently.

Aged at target audience of age eleven plus, this is a beautifully written story that will appeal to adults as well.

The main character, Sam is aged around eleven, his mother (Alice Bennett) has just died, she was a well-loved local teacher and her death from cancer came quickly and was a shock to the community. Sam and his older sister Becky are left to live in Sheffield with their Dad - a successful businessman. The three of them are very close, and support each other as much as possible through the hard days following Alice's death.

Alice was a spiritualist and always said that she would not die, just her body, that her spirit would go on to the other world. Sam wonders just where is the other world, can his mum see him and hear him? Can he contact her?

Sam stumbles upon his mum's mobile phone and decides to send a text to a random number that Alice had scribbled on a piece of paper in the kitchen. The text arrives on Tony's phone. Tony is a Spanish-born lorry driver with a big heart who wants to help, so he replies.

What follows is Sam's increasing excitement at the thought of contacting his Mum and Tony's increasing unease at just what has he got himself into.

Sam makes his way to meet Tony, and hopefully, his Mum. The last few chapters are a little far-fetched it's true, yet they show the power of friendship between an adult and a child, the story has been compared to 'Goodnight Mr Tom' by some reviewers, and I would agree it does have that same appeal - optimism, hope and friendship.

A short novel that is beautifully put together and should be enjoyed by older children and adults alike.

[Erika Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lengvam skaitymui. Knygoje pasakojama apie berniuką po mamos mirties. Seimui rūpi susisiekti su mirusią mama, nors vaikas suvokia, kad jos nebėra, bet pastangos ir noras rasti nors menkiausią viltį su ja susisiekti skatina berniuką netgi išvykti iš namų. Įtraukiantis pasakojimas, nes vis norįs sužinoti kuo baigsis. 5⭐

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found this so difficult to get through - plod through it I did. It had potential to be heart wrenching but it fell short.

[Scarlet Gora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but lost me at the end

[Sally Whitehead · Rating 1 out of 5]

Somehow this manages to be a really rather irritating and frustrating combination of clunky, repetitive AND long winded. Weak characterisation and a very slow and insubstantial plot which I can't imagine holding a young reader's attention. The use of dialect felt inconsistent and technical inaccuracies (such as a place name being spelt incorrectly early in the story and then correctly later) were annoying. I didn't see the point in some of the incidental characters such as Dazz and his father, unless they were there to enable the reader to readjust their moral compass by learning how wrong we are to judge on first appearances. Either that or they were to provide the pro-spiritualist stance the book seemed to take as it drew to a close; a stance I wasn't entirely comfortable with given the intended audience. A very strange book, and not in a good way.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book I picked up from the shared laundry of a motel I was staying at while on holiday in NZ.
It's a pleasant enough book about the awkward topic of life in a suburban family after the death of the mother from cancer.
The book focuses on the son Sam, who we assume is around 11 years old. Still a boy who needs his mum.
Many of the characters are portrayed quite one dimensionally and the progression of the story is a little clunky.

[Jemma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, for a start when they say his mums dead, it's completely obvious it's not his mum. We find out that he is talking to tony instantly- although he doesnt know that. So where's the mystery? However, on a positive note, the book was intriguing( only to find out what happens next).
The genre is mystery but there is no mystery to this book.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had been putting off reading this book because I expected it to be sad. It wasn't particularly though. This was a sweet little book and I thought the author did a good job of speaking in a child's voice. Sometimes I felt like Sam was a bit too naive, but I suppose it was necessary for the plot. Not my favourite book but quite readable.

[Rosie Olsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok but i found it quite boring. Everytime i put it down i really didnt want to pick it back up again. Even whilst i was reading it i was a bit bored. I wouldnt recomend this book.

[Just_me · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little slow in places but a nice storyline.