Two teen boys deaths leave a small town looking for answers. Bereaved parents searching for answers and a girl who needs healing all come in to play. Its fast paced and chapters are told in alternating voices. A new writer to follow.
Thank you NetGalley & JoAnne Tompkins for the ARC.

Keep an entire box of Kleenex at hand when you sit down to read What Comes After. It is a beautifully written story that will surely bring most readers to tears.

Very simply, this novel is about two dead teenage boys, a homeless and pregnant girl, one of the boy's father, the other boy's mother, and a loving dog. The author does an absolutely masterful job of bringing the main characters to life. The novel is told in the first person by Isaac, who we first get to know at his son's funeral. I loved Isaac's devotion to his Quaker roots and his interactions with his Quaker friends. The chapters about Isaac are alternated with chapters about Emma, a teen who has been deserted by her mother and, subsequently, taken in by Isaac. My heart broke with her as she struggled with her journey to take care of herself and her unborn child and then as she learned to let others into her life. The third POV is that of Jonah, who is writing on the day of his death. Again, as a reader, Ms. Tompkins took me into Jonah's very soul.

Near the end of the novel, Isaac's dog Rufus, who is so integral to the story, comes to the end of his life, and honestly, I had to skim the chapters about Rufus as they were just too emotional, albeit beautifully written. (I am adding this fact because I know it will be a trigger for some readers, so this is a heads' up.)

This is such a powerful book, it's hard to review. My sincere thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. This isn't the kind of novel I would normally pick up, but I'm so glad I did. Five bright stars for What Comes After. It is scheduled for publication on April 13, 2021.

This book was heartbreaking, and so beautifully written. I did not know what to expect going into it, and I found the story compelling and a wonderful examination of the after-effects of individual actions.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Riverhead and NetGalley for the chance to read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Riverhead Books, and JoAnne Tompkins for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The small Washington town of Port Furlong is shaken by the deaths of two teenage boys. Isaac Balch lives alone with his dog. He is grieving both the death of his son, Daniel, and the departure of his wife. His next door neighbor, Lorrie, is grieving her son Jonah's death. Though each of them are experiencing similar circumstances, they remain separated from one another and have difficulty finding common ground. Shortly after Jonah and Daniel's deaths, a homeless pregnant teenage, Evangeline, arrives in the neighborhood with nowhere to go and no place to stay. Issac and Lorrie both make connections with Evangeline, but still cannot forge a path toward each other. While Evangeline brings about positive changes in both of them, they are both forced to face the harsh realities of their pasts as well as the implications it may have on the future.

This book was contemporary literature and a propulsive mystery in equal measures. I was instantly drawn into the dynamics among the residents of Port Furlong and eager to understand what precipitated both Jonah and Daniel's deaths. Tompkins' characters are well-written and easy to empathize with. I felt a strong connection to Evangeline, in particular, only a few chapters into this book. It is fascinating to watch this story unfold and to see in what ways the three main characters' lives intertwine or diverge.

Death, loss, and grief are universal topics that are oftentimes challenging to render in an authentic fashion. I felt that Tompkins explored these topics with a gentle touch. Her portrayal of grief in the wake of a traumatic and unexpected loss rang true to me, and I felt that I was able to connect with the characters on this basis.

There was a bit more religiousity and faith-based discussion in this book than I was prepared for. I'm not familiar with the Quaker faith, but I felt that Tompkins did well in presenting information about Quaker beliefs and rituals in an accessible and understandable manner. I am not a particularly religious person, rather I am spiritual, however I was still able to appreciate and understand each characters' faith, especially Isaac's.

All-in-all, I loved this blend of mystery and contemporary literature and feel that fans of either genre will likely feel similarly.

This novel is about distraction, resilience and grief. The human condition is on display in this provoking novel. I kept rooting for the characters to find a resolution or absolution. I highly recommend this one it’ll stay with you long after you’ve done reading it.

JoAnne Tompkins in her book “What Comes After” has written an amazing story of love and healing, following the worst of tragedies. Evangeline is a 16 year old girl who has been abandoned by her Mother. Her Mother gave birth to her when she was 14 years old but, never grew up. After a succession of bad choices with men, the last of who seduced and raped her daughter, she took off. She left he daughter in an old trailer, with no food and no way to pay for the rent. Evangeline, though is a survivor. She wanders a bit, meeting two boys in the woods. One is a bully, who rapes her, the other his “best friend” is sweet and kind. She is drawn to him and his kindness but later learns that the bully, Daniel is dead, supposedly killed by his friend, Jonah, who commits suicide. Evangeline has nowhere to go and it is cold. She goes to the huge Victorian house, owned by the father of one of the boys. He is mourning the lose of his son and his wife, who left him a few months before. He is a high school teacher who is know for adopting strays. He takes her in and later learns that she is pregnant. He lives next door to the boy, who killed his son and has had a very difficult time dealing with his neighbor, Lorrie. She lost her son and husband to suicide. Somehow, Evangeline and isaac’s faith, as a Quaker help him to heal. It was a chilling but, very plausible story of “What Comes After.” Highly Recommended.

Excellent hook. Heartbreaking, yet uplifting. Highly recommend, as one of the best books I’ve read this year. Great for book clubs

This is a beautiful and heartbreaking look at choices and what comes after, how individuals' lives are affected by several choices. Imagine if you will tossing a pebble into a pond and watching it create ripples. This book examines the ripples that come from those pebbles being tossed.

Breathtaking and emotionally charged constantly, I wouldn't recommend starting it in the afternoon, or at night; you will lose sleep over it. This is a book that grabs you by the collar and throws you into the car for a ride you aren't going to forget.

Loved this powerful redemption story. I was hooked from the first page. The strongest element of this book was undoubtedly the writing style, as it managed to convey mystery and intrigue while maintaining its deep profundity. I will definitely be picking up more work by this author.

Oh boy! Another book made me feel like somebody sledgehammered my heart at least dozen times and torn it apart, crushed it with a giant truck’s tires and left it to root at the crime scene!

It might look like over exaggerated definition but I’m truly overwhelmed and I need to wear mask to cover my entire face ( also I need to wear it at home to protect my besties who stop by and husband dearest from screaming! My face is too blotchy, swollen, resembling adult Yoda ( Jon Favreau can choose me to play his oldest self at Mandalorian but I hope he won’t puke on me as soon as he sees the last condition of my face! )

This book is not everyone! It makes you feel TOO MUCH! It’s extremely intense! And if you lost your loved ones recently ( you know what it doesn’t change anything you lost them recently or long time ago: the pain you suffer never lessens , it just develops but it still hurts like hell! ) you have to think it twice before starting to read it!

Even though I heard those alarm bells warm me to stay away because this book is more than a regular tear jerker, heart wrenching novel : I kept reading. I couldn’t stop myself. I let my tears fall! I let my screams cut the silence! I let myself fall apart! Because the characters were so real, so genuine and their experiences are so familiar! The different and beautiful characters interwoven stories hook you up, move under your skin and capture your heart!

Grief, web of secrets, building rage, abandonment, abuse : those are triggering subjects of the book but you already know what you’re getting yourself into from the beginning.

You truly ache for Evangeline who is dealt with one of the shittiest hand, suffering from so many traumatic experience who is only 16. And we’re introduced to 50 years old Isaac who loses his only son Daniel who is killed brutally and Isaac learns to face his true nature and faults of his son. And you may feel deeply sorry for Lorrie who lost his first son when he was a baby and now loses his other son to suicide.
There are so many more memorable characters and when you read some chapters, you feel your heart is bleeding for them. It’s so realistic, earth shattering, soul crushing.

Even it hurt me extremely I cannot help myself and give my five OMG what I just read, it was written amazingly but I think I cannot open my red rimmed eyes for two days stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP/ Riverhead Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I’m judging a 2021 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got this book from the perspective pile into the read further pile.

I’ve been gripped from the first pages. “The only relief ahd been the two boys who’d appeared in September, a brief island of company—both tender and ugly—in the middle of all that loneliness.”

Oh. What a difficult book to read. Not because it’s a terrible story - it’s just so jam packed full of emotions that I had to set it down a few times because it was killing me. Seriously hit so close to home several times. I love Evangeline. So tough, but still with enough hope to keep her going. Glad neither boy was the father. Glad it didn’t get too religious or I would have quit reading. The trauma these families faced! I do not read murder mysteries. I’m not entertained by violence and gore and this pushed me to my limits. I would have quit reading if it went farther but the characters kept drawing me in. Isaac had to admit that his world was far from perfect and he had to acknowledge that his son wasn’t a saint. Poor Lorrie who had seen horror before but then is dealt another crushing blow. So many broken hearts. I think that’s why I’m drawn to this type of story. As a mother who lost her firstborn and only son to suicide, I’m always looking to see how people deal with it, even fictional characters. I know authors do their research. When Jonah said goodnight/goodbye to his mom and sister it took me back to my own experience. Tears flowed many times, especially when Isaac and Evangeline were singing to Rufus. Ugh. Ugly cry! I don’t agree with letting a pet suffer like they did but I realize it had to fit the story. Love the ending. I will keep an eye on this author!

Set in the atmospheric Pacific Northwest, this masterful debut novel rotates from family to tragedy to reconfigured family. It is a dark charcoal sky shot through with rays of blinding sunlight...

An amazingly strong, beautiful, and touching debut novel! The mystery lover in me tore through the pages to uncover the hidden secrets and motivation in the characters’ lives. The literary part of my mind needed to linger over and appreciate descriptions of intense emotions and truths as they surfaced. Every character felt like an actual human to me, and how the author wove the many lives together with no hint of artifice or improbability amazed me. My most loved book this year so far!

What Comes After is a question many of us ponder. What comes next, what comes tomorrow, what comes after we die? This a question with so many nuances and Joanne Tompkins tackles it with great heart and insight. Evangaline is a 16 year old girl who has seen way too much of the bad things life can present. Isaac is a 50 year old man who has lost his only son, Daniel, in a brutal killing, Lorrie, Isaac’s neighbor, is also the mother of the boy who murdered Daniel. Somehow, these three have to learn to put aside the past in order to find What Comes After.

Voices change with each chapter as different characters weave the details of the story together. What seems to be predictable is not. Beautiful book about found families, the love of a dog and for a dog, learning how to trust and how to forgive. Suspenseful but also heartwrenching.

Secrets! Mystery! Loss and rage! A perfect combo for a perfect read. Loved Tompkins' prose and the way she gently pulled readers through the story.

This is a compelling and interesting book about loss and possibility. It is a traditional plot driven book but there are meditations on stillness and grief seamlessly interwoven into it. They are beautiful and never distract from the book's forward movement. It was absorbing and thoughtful, and I recommend it highly.