What the publisher said :

Max and Pip are the strongest couple you know. They’re best friends, lovers—unshakable. But then their son gets sick and the doctors put the question of his survival into their hands. For the first time, Max and Pip can’t agree. They each want a different future for their son.  

What if they could have both?

A gripping and propulsive exploration of love, marriage, parenthood, and the road not taken, After the End brings one unforgettable family from unimaginable loss to a surprising, satisfying, and redemptive ending and the life they are fated to find. With the emotional power of Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper, Mackintosh helps us to see that sometimes the end is just another beginning.

My thoughts:

I don’t usually go in for this sort of novel. But after reading the first chapter, I was hooked. For starters, it uses not only the narrative of Dylan’s parents, it also features chapters written from the point of view of their child’s consultant. Thus providing the medical background and how this can be so diametrically opposed to the emotional concerns of Max and Pip. Everything about it has such a ring of truth to it that I wasn’t shocked to learn that the author went through a similar situation. Here, she’s been able to bring heart and detail to a story that needs to be told.

There were a couple of times where I was confused as to which outcome was being followed. I began to wonder if it was one of those “choose-your-own-adventure” books. I’m still not sure who got the better ending, because they both lost a son and that must be the hardest thing to experience. 

Mackintosh not only tackles the topic of a sick child, it also focuses on how women are usually the main caregiver and how this affects the family if they want to go back to work. It touches on homophobia and how that is still prevalent today. A whole host of current issues that surround us everyday. Showing that anyone can find themselves in this situation. 

Whilst I didn’t find myself sobbing my heart out, it did tug a few cold heartstrings.