Book review: 'After Anna'

Well hello to you my reader chums! I'm an avid book reader and even though I read a lot of stories, there are only a few novels that I think 'wow, this book was intense' and 'After Anna' fits that description. I finished this a few weeks back and couldn't wait to sit down and type away my thoughts.

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Here's my review on 'After Anna'...


After Anna book review

Plotline

The blurb goes as follows - Five-year-old Anna vanishes from school without any trace of where she could be. A week later she's found by the authorities without a smidge of evidence to what could have happened and Anna herself having no memory of the ordeal. The nightmare begins here for Anna and her family. It's one of those plots that have surprises and unexpected moments at every turn of the page, that you keep on wondering what will happen next.

Characters

One of my favourite things about novels is getting to know the characters and what happens to them in the storyline. Julia is a strong, caring mother figure and shows every difficult task that motherhood entails throughout the book. She's a determined character, who's in an unhappy marriage and goes to every strength (literally) to get what she sets out for. Brian (Julia's husband) is a weaker character I found. Under the thumb and control of his mother, he always done everything in her favour and still tries to make her happy instead of his wife. Brian is conveyed as a man who is content with his career and his home, that he doesn't seek anything more than that. Then we have Anna who is a curious and clever little 5 years old. Brian's mum, Edna is odd and you discover that from the beginning. She is very snobby, likes the finer things in life, and turns her nose down at those who don't. As Anna is her main grandchild she is still in contact with, she wants the very best for her including private education. As the novel goes on, you see how all these characters' relationships grow and clash with many other low-key characters coming in between. It unfolds in such a way, I couldn't believe it.

After Anna book review

Structure
The structure of this book is very interesting and gripping. It switches between the narrator's voice of what's going on with the family unit of Julia, Brian, and Anna to the kidnapper's thoughts. That switch is super intense, however, it puts you in the mind of the kidnapper and helps you unfold what actually happens to Anna. I love the way this book is put together and how the chapters reveal different information.

Ending

I won't give away the ending, however halfway through the book, I began to have my suspicions of what happens and I was correct. The last couple of chapters are even more intense than the rest of them and you discover exactly what happens to Anna. What I can say is the book does end with a happy, content finish.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this book to any enthusiastic reader. It leaves you in suspense, wanting more after every page, and has too many unexpected moments to count. The author is a truly clever and creative writer. It's a 10/10 from me.

I hope you enjoyed this book review! Do you have any book recommendations?

Thank you for reading <3

8 comments

  1. ohhhh i wanna read this one so badly!

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  2. I wish I had more time to read ! I love books like this too... definitely sounds like a good read
    Saira
    www.throughtheglitterglass.wordpress.com

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    1. It's my aim to read much more this year! Definitely give this book a read xx

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  3. This sounds like such a good book. I’m in town soon and might actually pick up a copy. The fact that she doesn’t remember what happened or there’s not a trace of what happened to her caught my attention!

    Love the way you told us about the characters and the structure although I skipped the ending just incase there was a spoiler!
    Definitely keeping an eye out for this book.

    You’ve got yourself a new blog follower x

    Sophie | www.trafotoz.com

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    1. Please do! Thank you so much for your lovely comment xx

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  4. Oooo this sounds really good! I've been reading so much more this month and I'm always looking for new things to read - I'll definitely be adding this to my list of things to read.

    Sarah || thosestarsthatshine.co.uk

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    1. It's great to hear you've been reading! I hope you like this book xx

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