Review: After We Fall by Emma Kavanagh

Summary:

A moody, intense debut psychological thriller by a former police psychologist, this debut novel explores four lives that fall apart in the tense aftermath of a plane crash, perfect for fans of Tana French, S. J. Watson, and Alice LaPlante. Unraveling what holds these four together is a tense, taut tale about good people who make bad decisions that ultimately threaten to destroy them. Debut author Emma Kavanagh deftly weaves together the stories of those who lost someone or something of themselves in one tragic incident, exploring how swiftly everything we know can come crashing down.

Publication Date: June 2, 2015

I loved the premise of this book! I was so curious to see how the stories on the ground would relate to the people on the doomed flight. The thing I enjoyed most about the story was the way the author interwove seemingly unrelated events together.

The characters were a mixed bag. I think my biggest issue was with Cecilia. As a mom myself, I just couldn’t find myself relating to her decision to abandon her child. Despite my dislike of her, I did find her and the other narrators characterized in a believable way.

The suspense was what kept me reading. I really needed to discover the mysteries surrounding the plane crash and the murder. I loved how the author kept me guessing on where she was taking the story.

The pace was good, but I did wish for the narrative to be a little clearer on the tenses. I found myself going back several times to determine whether the narrator was talking about the present or the past. Too many narrators can sometimes irritate me, but I found it worked well for After We Fall.

Overall, a good and complex story about flawed characters.  

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!