Afterwards

Starred review from February 6, 2012
A blaze at a suburban London school takes on sinister overtones in Lupton’s superb follow-up to Sister (2010). During a sports day at the school of Grace Covey’s son, Adam, the building catches fire, and Grace races inside when she realizes that her 17-year-old daughter, Jenny, a temporary teaching assistant, has not emerged. Defying official sanctions, Det. Sgt. Sarah McBride, Grace’s sister-in-law, doggedly pursues the questions in the aftermath. These include the accusation that Adam set the blaze, though he’s traumatized from the fire and unable to speak; the possible roles of investors, staff, journalists, and fired employees; and an earlier poisoned pen campaign against Jenny. Unusually, the gravely injured Grace and Jenny are having out-of-body experiences, wandering the hospital and other places in search of the truth, as Jenny remembers little of the day’s events, and Grace is suspicious of Jenny’s boyfriend, Ivo, and her daughter’s other relationships. The uncommon but convincing narrative technique, adroit twists, and memorable characters combine to provide a wise and poignant portrait of a family confronted with malice and heartbreaking decisions. Agent: Felicity Blunt, Curtis Brown.