- Hardcover: 304 pages
- Publisher: Picador; First Edition; 1st printing. edition (7 Aug 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0330455664
- ISBN-13: 978-0330455664
- Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 13.6 x 3.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 769,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Afterlife
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Review
'This taut literary thriller grips from the start and has a nice line in dark humour.' --WBQ
'Gripping and graceful debut novel...it positively throbs with loss, loss that is articulated at an exquisite and poetical register.' --The Irish Times
'This is a rich and powerful testament to the value of the well-wrought word.'
--Daily Mail
'Afterlife reveals he is also a novelist, one whose emotional intelligence informs a satisfying formal sophistication' --Independent
`[a] darkly witty first novel . . . this is an absorbing first work of fiction by a much-admired poet. It is a sharp and unforgiving portrait of literary dreams and jealousies; and of the loss of youthful innocence viewed from the "afterlife of adulthood". --Sunday Times
'A thriller set in the world of contemporary poetry might not sound too exciting, but in his debut novel, the TS Eliot prize-winning poet Sean O'Brien chills to the bone.'
--Independent on Sunday
'Gripping and graceful debut novel...it positively throbs with loss, loss that is articulated at an exquisite and poetical register.' --The Irish Times
'This is a rich and powerful testament to the value of the well-wrought word.'
--Daily Mail
'Afterlife reveals he is also a novelist, one whose emotional intelligence informs a satisfying formal sophistication' --Independent
`[a] darkly witty first novel . . . this is an absorbing first work of fiction by a much-admired poet. It is a sharp and unforgiving portrait of literary dreams and jealousies; and of the loss of youthful innocence viewed from the "afterlife of adulthood". --Sunday Times
'A thriller set in the world of contemporary poetry might not sound too exciting, but in his debut novel, the TS Eliot prize-winning poet Sean O'Brien chills to the bone.'
--Independent on Sunday
Review
'Fiercely readable'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
The stifling heat of the English summer of 1976 is a sympathetic backdrop for the melting pot of four newly-graduated friends who move together to a Shropshire village to decide on their futures. Martin, providing the commentary for the novel's events, is a self-doubting poet wannabe, having chosen to study the writings of fictional priest Thomas Exton, with whose anxieties and self-denial he identifies strongly. Caught up in an escalating feud between talented and inspired Jane and the driven but constantly sinning Alex, Martin frets over his own temptations and vulnerabilities while trying to maintain harmony within the ill-fitting group.
In Afterlife O'Brien betrays his poetic background all too often, wandering off into confused introspection for long tracts, and while this may be a literary device to highlight Martin's indecisive, drug-soaked thinking, it makes for agonising reading.
O'Brien's characterisations are a problem. The book's protagonists lack any real solidity and their relationships are jagged and inconsistent. Sometimes believable, sometimes improbable, their interactions are difficult to fathom and are often swamped by impenetrable, profane, arty debate. Even with the death of Jane, for whom Martin harbours a secret devotion, a true sense of devastation is absent, and she is not keenly missed by the reader either. However, the gradual fragmentation of the group as dangerous new characters are introduced as catalysts for the tragic outcome is at least interesting to observe. This, along with the claustrophobic village-setting that feels ever-more suffocating and volatile does something to assuage fears that the whole story is going nowhere.
It is difficult to get away from the feeling that Afterlife tries to be too clever for its own good. It attempts to be an intellectual, art house piece written from the point of view of a frustrated poet mired in academic and personal indecision. The effect of this, though, is to alienate the reader from what comes across as a pretentious exposition of academic over-confidence. There are brief sparks of clarity, but the lack of any definite structure or drama tends to make Afterlife an unsatisfying read.
In Afterlife O'Brien betrays his poetic background all too often, wandering off into confused introspection for long tracts, and while this may be a literary device to highlight Martin's indecisive, drug-soaked thinking, it makes for agonising reading.
O'Brien's characterisations are a problem. The book's protagonists lack any real solidity and their relationships are jagged and inconsistent. Sometimes believable, sometimes improbable, their interactions are difficult to fathom and are often swamped by impenetrable, profane, arty debate. Even with the death of Jane, for whom Martin harbours a secret devotion, a true sense of devastation is absent, and she is not keenly missed by the reader either. However, the gradual fragmentation of the group as dangerous new characters are introduced as catalysts for the tragic outcome is at least interesting to observe. This, along with the claustrophobic village-setting that feels ever-more suffocating and volatile does something to assuage fears that the whole story is going nowhere.
It is difficult to get away from the feeling that Afterlife tries to be too clever for its own good. It attempts to be an intellectual, art house piece written from the point of view of a frustrated poet mired in academic and personal indecision. The effect of this, though, is to alienate the reader from what comes across as a pretentious exposition of academic over-confidence. There are brief sparks of clarity, but the lack of any definite structure or drama tends to make Afterlife an unsatisfying read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
One long hot summer in the seventies, four Cambridge graduates head to the country for one last round of enjoyment before the realities of adulthood set in. There's bold, brash Alex- ladies' man, aspiring writer and a bit of a jerk; the weaker-willed Martin, who is content to trail along in Alex's wake even as he hopes to start a PhD on an obscure local poet; Jane, the effortlessly talented yet ethereal poet and Susie, the practical and pragmatic cornerstone of the group. Amidst a haze of drugs and alcohol, deep undercurrents of tension run through the group, but it is only the arrival of a pair of American students that ignites the smouldering resentments.
Right from the very first paragraph, I could tell that Afterlife and I weren't going to get on; with its long, meandering phrases and overabundant literary references, it seemed yet another addition to the pile of books that aim for 'cleverness' at the expense of clarity. Told from the perspective of Martin as he looks back on That One Fateful Summer, the prose is full of rambling internal narrations, but the dialogue sections proved even worse, with it all too often being unclear who was supposed to be saying what.
Nonetheless, I decided to persevere, and after 180 or so pages of long hot days in which the protagonists smoked joints, downed pints and did very little else, the pace began to pick up. Unfortunately, by that point, most of the characters had managed to make themselves as hateful as possible- Alex and his new friends from being complete and utter jerks, and the likes of Martin and Jane simply through being too weak-willed and ineffectual to do anything about it. The only sympathetic characters are Martin's pragmatic girlfriend Susie and pub regular Gareth, but they seem to exist more as plot devices than characters to be developed in their own right.
Fortunately, right at the end, the book does improve a little, and although I wouldn't say it justified having read through the entire thing, at least the final chapter didn't leave me feeling completely unsatisfied. This should only be taken as consolation for those currently working their way through the book, however- if you've yet to crack open the cover of Afterlife, don't bother.
Right from the very first paragraph, I could tell that Afterlife and I weren't going to get on; with its long, meandering phrases and overabundant literary references, it seemed yet another addition to the pile of books that aim for 'cleverness' at the expense of clarity. Told from the perspective of Martin as he looks back on That One Fateful Summer, the prose is full of rambling internal narrations, but the dialogue sections proved even worse, with it all too often being unclear who was supposed to be saying what.
Nonetheless, I decided to persevere, and after 180 or so pages of long hot days in which the protagonists smoked joints, downed pints and did very little else, the pace began to pick up. Unfortunately, by that point, most of the characters had managed to make themselves as hateful as possible- Alex and his new friends from being complete and utter jerks, and the likes of Martin and Jane simply through being too weak-willed and ineffectual to do anything about it. The only sympathetic characters are Martin's pragmatic girlfriend Susie and pub regular Gareth, but they seem to exist more as plot devices than characters to be developed in their own right.
Fortunately, right at the end, the book does improve a little, and although I wouldn't say it justified having read through the entire thing, at least the final chapter didn't leave me feeling completely unsatisfied. This should only be taken as consolation for those currently working their way through the book, however- if you've yet to crack open the cover of Afterlife, don't bother.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I tried this with good intentions but the use of the present tense always puts me right off. I didn't engage with the characters either, finding it all a bit self consciously "edgy" and affected. Much as I liked the nostalgic angle of the novel (which is what first attracted me)I just lost motivation. I feel a debut novel needs more oooomph than this had. Just my opinion, you might like it more than I did. Not my cup of tea.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Wordy but worth it
I'm really surprised to see so many poor reviews of Afterlife on here.
I have to admit, I agree with some of the reviewers who feel it's too wordy. Read more
I have to admit, I agree with some of the reviewers who feel it's too wordy. Read more
Published 9 months ago by A. Curtis
Not as Bad as Reviewers Say
I'm not really sure why this book is getting such a slating on here, it actually very good.
The story isn't that original, but it is well-told, and I liked the writing... Read more
The story isn't that original, but it is well-told, and I liked the writing... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Karen Field
VERSE AND WORSE
`Write about what you know', they tell you; and, although that advice is frequently just plain wrong, Sean O'Brien, poet and academic, follows it here to good effect. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Kevin Maynard
Difficult to read/hard to get into
I found this book difficult to read and hard to get into. I'm all for being educated, but not to the extent that I need to keep a dictionary on hand just to get through one page... Read more
Published on 25 Mar 2010 by Skargasm
Promising...
A subtle cross between Nick Hornby and French film noire - this is an interesting and at times captivating novel that feeds of emotional intrigue. Read more
Published on 19 Mar 2010 by Mr. D. A. Cure
Not 'The Secret History'...
This is a difficult book that only really gets going about three quarters of the way through (at which point many readers may well have given up! Read more
Published on 27 Oct 2009 by J. N. Smith
Drab & Rambling
I am not suprised to find the writer is a poet, the naration is rambling & at times totally unconnected to the plot. Read more
Published on 21 Oct 2009 by T. Andrews
A waste of my precious time
I really struggled to get into this book and eventually only managed to bear three quarters of it. It had very little plot, the characters were abysmal and I found the style of... Read more
Published on 8 Oct 2009 by A. Taylor
Witty and entertaining
I didn't give this the full stars, only because it's not the kind of thing I'd read by choice. But it was a clever, witty and entertaining read.
Published on 28 Sep 2009 by C. Y. Davidson
A Real Struggle....
In the promotional material for this novel it is likened to `The Secret History', which is why I ordered it; sadly it is something of a pale comparison. Read more
Published on 18 Sep 2009 by Sarah Durston
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