What Comes After: Review

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I’m a big crime show gal. I established that in my Into the Woods review, but here I am, at it again. I love crime shows. I love crime podcasts, and I love crime books. Especially in summer. There’s something about the heat wave that makes me want to consume all the thriller, crime content. In April, I snagged a copy of What Comes After by Joanne Tompkins for my Book of the Month Club pick (p.s. This is a really cool subscription box and it saves me SO much money on books). 

My TBR list was insane this spring. “You got another book?” Jacob would say, staring at my tower of books on our couch’s end table. I’ve since read the pile, like, dramatically down. Actually, of my physical copies of books, What Comes After was the last remaining TBR book. I specifically saved it for summer because it felt like the perfect mystery to read in the hot June sun. 

I went into this novel suspecting a mystery that puts me on the edge of my seat. A psychological thriller that makes it hard to sleep at night. This book is neither of those things. It has mystery elements, which I’ll get into in a little bit. This book was nothing like I expected it to be, but I LOVED it regardless. 

Read on for the deets!

Synopsis:

Isaac Balch’s life is torn apart when his son, Daniel, suffers a terrible death. He lives alone in an unfinished and empty Victorian in the dreary state of Washington, his wife long gone, his son dead. Right next door, Lorrie is a single mom also dealing with the horrible actions and death of her son, Jonah. She’s a single mother trying to take care of her teenage daughter who’s been through so much, her husband also long gone. Isaac and Lorrie’s friendship was torn apart after the death of their sons. It’s not until the strange arrival of a sixteen year old, pregnant girl that the two adults are able to face each other. Evangeline raises questions for the struggling adults and acts as an unlikely binding force. 

What I Liked:

Psychological Aspect:

Even if the mystery genre isn’t normally your thing, I think you should take a chance on this book. While the town and the three main characters are dealing with the horrible deaths of two teenage boys, this really is an exploration of….What Comes After. The focus is on Isaac, Lorrie, and Evangeline. It’s about how they cope and heal after the events rather than the events themselves. While there are sprinkles of mystery embedded throughout, it’s more of a psychological exploration. Because all three characters have been through some crap, let me tell you.

Religious Aspect:

Religion is a big focus of this novel. I didn’t know that when I picked it up, but I really like this added element and theme. For the most part it’s focused on Isaac’s Quaker faith and how that affects him…his past, present, and future. At times the novel feels allegorical in a sense as we see Isaac’s journey with his faith throughout. Again, not something typically found in a mystery, psychological fiction, but I’m here for it. 

Writing Style:

The writing alone is worth the read. After the first page, I suspected Tompkins had an MFA in Creative Writing. Turns out I was right. Authors who hold an MFA typically have a certain writing style. Some people aren’t’ a fan of this, but I appreciate the intelligent and beautiful combination of words. It becomes a novel that reads as poetry, the prose is so well crafted.

 Characters: 

I love the depth the reader gets in this novel. Character development isn’t always necessarily a focus in mystery/psychological novels, and so this, again, was a nice surprise! Tompkins is able to fashion each of the main characters in a way that the reader can understand the complexities and dualities of their emotions and thoughts and urges. No one is just good or just bad. Tompkins certainly uses the characters to explore the nature of evil, the nature of good, healing, human strength, trauma. And she does so eloquently and with care. My favorite character? THE DOG. Tompkins literally crafted a dog, Rufus, into an integral character in the novel. It was cause for joy, and tears by the end. 

What I Didn’t Like:

There wasn’t much I didn’t like in this novel. Instead, I’m going to use this section as more of a content warning.

This novel contains scenes and descriptions of: 

• Rape
• Suicide
• Violence
• Domestic abuse
• Violence towards animals

Not the most lighthearted read, so be warned before picking this one up!

Overall:

When Evangeline, a pregnant teenager, mysteriously arrives into the lives of Isaac and Lorrie after the horrible deaths of their sons, the adults are forced to reckon with their brokenness and lost friendship. A novel of healing, religion, and the nature of evil, What Comes After was a surprising novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. I didn’t expect to encounter some of the deeper themes. The writing is intelligent and beautiful, and Tompkins is even able to craft a dog as a main character. This is not a light novel (see content warning above), but one I recommend. I gave this one 4/5 stars. Grab it on Amazon or Bookshop for your next read!

My Rating: