The Mourning After

by Rochelle B Weinstein

Overview

A tragic car accident will forever change the Keller family. Fifteen-year-old Levon Keller survives, though his older brother David, star athlete and golden child, does not. As the fragile family mourns while trying to move on, guilt-ridden Levon finds himself lost between the memory of his brother and the constant attention his younger sister requires with a rare genetic affliction. When the beautiful and unpredictable teenager Lucy Bell moves in next door, Levon finds a trustworthy friend--one capable of providing salvation and true insight. Their friendship leads the reader on a journey that reveals family secrets and painful truths, culminating in an astonishingly suspenseful realization: when it comes to family, nothing is as it seems. Compelling and rife with raw emotion The Mourning After captures the essence of a family in crisis and recovery. It sings with the power of the human spirit.The Mourning After is the recipient of a B.R.A.G. Medallion for indie excellence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781484015582
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	06/10/2013
Pages:	300
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

Rochelle B. Weinstein lives in South Florida with her husband and twin sons. Her books include What We Leave Behind, Where We Fall, and the Spring 2018 release Somebody's Daughter. Please visit her at www.rochelleweinstein.com.

Editorial Reviews

2013-10-23
Two teenagers form a bond based around tragedies that no one, least of all the young, should have to endure. Rochelle B. Weinstein's second novel focuses on the Kellers, a family in Florida that is no stranger to tragedy. The youngest child, Chloe, suffers from Glycogen Storage Disease, a rare condition that requires careful supervision and a feeding tube; meanwhile the oldest and most beloved child, David, was a star until he was killed in a car accident; and Levon, the heavy-set, brooding middle child, well, "his fate is sealed: he will always be the boy who got behind the wheel of the car that killed David." As the Keller parents struggle to accept the loss of their favored son, Levon suffers through guilt, shame, depression--all the while burdened by a secret he refuses to reveal. There's a glimmer of hope, though, when the vibrant and precocious Lucy, who has survived her own crisis, moves in next door and helps guide Levon along a path that just might bring him back to a life worth living. Weinstein explores the difficult facets of grief that are often too painful to recognize, the solipsism of mourning, the selfishness of regret, and the guilt of moving on. Levon's complex emotions and the wreckage form the heart of this novel. However Weinstein often shifts perspectives away from Levon, showing the tragedy and its outcome from different angles (like the cops who discover the car crash), rather than plumbing the depths of his grief even further. Levon, a perceptive but occasionally mawkish young man who often retreats to his journal, certainly has enough to say about his grief and his affection for Lucy, and the diversions into the perspectives of other characters feels unnecessary. Ultimately, this novel full of mourning has a large, aching heart full of sympathy and potential, and will keep the reader listening for signs of restored life. A heart-wrenching tale of loss, loyalty, and the will to overcome.

Kirkus Reviews