What Follows After

What Follows After
Written by Dan Walsh
Published at Revell

About the book

In 1962, life was simple, the world made sense, and all families were happy.

And when they weren't, everyone knew you were supposed to pretend.

For the past year, Scott and Gina Harrison have been living a lie. While they show up at family get-togethers in the same car, they've actually been separated for over a year. To keep up the charade, they've even instructed their sons, Colt and Timmy, to lie--to their grandparents, their teachers, and their friends.

Colt, for one, has had enough, so he hatches a plan. He and his little brother will run away from their Florida home, head for their aunt's house in Georgia, and refuse to come home until their parents get back together. But when things go terribly, terribly wrong, Scott and Gina must come to grips with years of neglect and mistrust in order to recover their beloved sons, their love for one another, and their marriage.
In this emotional story, bestselling author Dan Walsh takes you on a journey to rediscover the things that matter most in life--love, truth, and family. With profound insight into the heart of a hurting child, he reminds us that a time will come to look back on hard times and smile, because we'll know that what follows after . . . is not what we expected at all.

My Thoughts

Dan Walsh is definitively one of my favourite authors.   When I realized that a new book from him was available for review, I immediately checked out the description of the book.   I will admit that I hesitated before requesting it.  The story seemed to be a bit more emotional than his previous novels.  But I figure that since I really like the author it would be okay.

The story is fabulous though it can twist your own stomach when the dramatic events unfolds.   I don’t particularly like stories where children are in danger.  And this book, though the child is not armed, will give you a chill that will go down your spine if you are a parent.  I can’t even imagine how the parents in this novel dealt with it.   You can their thoughts every once in a while but just enough to make you read more.    The story of this book is intertwined with the events surrounding the Cuban situation back in the early 60s.

In all, I was hooked with the characters and the events of this book.  Though I do not want any children to go through what Timmy experienced, I think the book helped to be realistic in what could happen even to this day and time.   Though somehow you hear more about kidnapping nowadays then back then, you will wonder up to about four fifth of the book is they will find the child.  

I won’t tell you the ending of the book.  But I will be honest in telling you that this novel from Dan Walsh was a bit harder to read for me – being a mom and all.    Even though I hesitated in requesting it, I am glad I read the book because I find that Dan Walsh writing is a delight for the eyes.

What Follows After is available at your favourite bookstore from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

   

Disclaimer: The book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.