After Annie

Everyone seems to have put a hold on this one at the library. I had it in my queue for ages. Took nothing more than a couple hours to read and will not leave a mark. Easy come, easy go.

For those who need it: Trigger warning for this book due to unaddressed se...al child abuse. Also, maybe it's my ADHD brain, but I had the darnedest time following this writing style. It was confusing. I felt I had to constantly read in between the lines, guessing at what was being implied — and I was disturbed by what I did understand. I know many people see this as a beautiful narrative about finding your way forward after the loss of a loved one, and I can respect that. But it definitely was not for me.

A touching, poignant story of a family's adjustment to the loss of their pivotal member, the wife, mother and closest friend of the characters. In her trademark lovely style, Quindlen delves into the emotions that come with coping with sudden grief and loss of someone so young and at the high point in their lives. Annie herself, though gone, remains in the hearts of those left behind as they try, each in their own individual way, to find a way through their sorrow to acceptance of their terrible loss.

Highly recommended. My thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this lovely novel.

Everyone should read this book.
What happens when someone you love dies? This is the story of those who must continue living even when the tragedy of a death puts road blocks in the way. Great story!

Grief, and dealing with the death of a loved one is different for everyone. Anna Quindlen was able to touch on that in this in a realistic way through her story of great love for a mom, wife, and best friend. To me, her portrayol of an alcoholic/addict was also spoton. My 3 rating is simply for being a solid story, nothing exciting, no twists, no surprises, just life going on after a loved one dies. Her best book for me is still Black and Blue.