Aftercare Instructions

Genesis is an outsider, she sees herself this way and has generated a zone around her that not many folk want to cross. On the hardest day of her life so far she is abandoned by the boy she thinks she loves and has to find a way through.

This story starts with a list of after care instructions for any medical procedure. The book takes two paths after that. In prose we get Genesis’ point of view on the weeks after her abortion (not a spoiler, it’s in the first chapter you find she’s been to planned parenthood) mainly the first week. She has so many emotions and doesn’t really know how to feel. At one point she says gets directions and I see glad they are as simple as walk straight then turn left as she feels her brain can’t handle any more. She also describes her soul as broken with patches from the people she loves and thinks love her. The writing for these sections is wonderfully descriptive and emotive, I can see how she thinks and it feels like the reactions of a true teenager.
The prose is alternated with play script sections looking back at the relationship that led to her current state. Whilst this highlights the person she was before her dad died (massive theatre fan) I found it very disconcerting that all of the history was told in this form including stage directions. I think this is the bit of the book that wasn’t for me, I’m not a fan of reading scripts silently but when you are reading on the bus this is the only way to go and it loses a lot in telling. I found this created an emotional disconnect for me from the main story but I can see how it I intended to work and is well constructed to give you background as an outsider to the story.

Overall a good read & I look forward to reading more from this author.
With a view to student run book club I would use this only with older students (15+) as it covers some sensitive topics that I feel are age appropriate after that. The book would provide good discussion and is one that the boys should read as well.

I would like to thank the Legend Press and netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

<b>Disclaimer: Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</b>


I am so grateful to NetGalley and the Publishers, Legend Press, for giving me a copy of Aftercare Instructions by Bonnie Pipkin.

What first drew me into the book first was actually the cover that is featured on NetGalley, I actually much prefer this one, to the other two version because it relates more to the title of the book, plus it's also <i>different</i> and stands out better in my opinion.

The second thing that drew me into this book was obviously the description, it's different from books of a similar theme I've read previously, where they normally keep the baby. This book opens with the character of Genesis who is at Planned Parenthood to have an abortion, after the procedure she walks out and her boyfriend is gone.

His abandonment causes her to question not only her relationship but also in part, her dark past and the death of her father, these are the main themes of the book.

Genesis is supported by friends and family with a backdrop set in New York City, which I love because it gives the book a feel that anything can happen. Along with this, Genesis has a love of acting in theaters which is briefly explored in the book, because of this there is a change up in writing style that the past is written in the form of 4 acts and multiple scenes which give this book a unique feel.

Due to the fact, that Peter is the main source in of stability in her life plus the fact his abandonment was unforeseen, a major plot point throughout the book is: Why? Why did he just... <i>go?</i> Which I did find myself writing <b>multiple</b> notes about when reading and going through various scenarios in my head!

This book is about doing what is best for you, growing up, and maybe that First Love, doesn't always mean Forever. The characters are well written, engaging and I felt myself get sucked into their stories and <i>wanting</i> to know what happened to them. Even the supporting characters of her family and friends.

The only reason that I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 is due to the fact that the summary on other websites led me to believe that Genesis would be a <i>major</i> part of the theater scene, but that isn't the case - she is apart of it and it's probably more my fault for latching on to the idea. So really my rating is more 4.5!

However, this is still an incredible book and an amazing addition to the genre - a book I highly recommend to teens and young adults.

I want to give this 5 stars just because Pipkin was willing to tackle teenage abortion and did it in a responsible way that was neither blasé nor proscriptive. It was incredibly refreshing to have that aspect of the book presented as merely a choice rather than falling into tropes such as ‘teen girl changes her mind at last minute and discover joy of motherhood/ childless couple adopt kid’ or ‘small town grudgingly accepts it’s ok for innocent raped girl not to give birth to her attacker’s baby’. It really was just a choice, highlighting the importance of preserving the potential mother’s life in a way that pro-lifers just can’t seem to wrap their heads around! That being said Gen’s accidental pregnancy and its termination aren’t the main thrust of the story but the inciting incident for everything else that happens. This is a book about choices, grief, loss and emotional healing. Pipkin avoids most common YA pitfalls and produces something really original. The reason I gave it four stars is that I just wasn’t that fond of the structure, clever as it was. That aside I highly recommend this for fans of YA contemporary fiction.