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A review by mayflowergirl74
The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook
4.0
So many of the books I read take place during The Great War or WW2, but I think The Aftermath might be the first I've read that takes place right after. The setting is a ruined Hamburg, Germany, and Colonel Lewis Morgan has been stationed here to help in the rebuilding efforts. He is a kind man, unwilling to damn an entire people for their part in starting the war, defending and offering help to those who have now been reduced to beggars. It's in this spirit that when he, his wife and young son are offered a grand house to live in, he doesn't turn out the owner of the house or his daughter but instead invites them to stay and live on the third floor.
The owner, Stefan Lubert, is a widower and is grateful for Lewis' kindness while his daughter is not so easily won over. I loved the relationship that developed between these people, especially that of Morgan's wife, Rachel, and Stefan, who she at first tried to keep at arm's length, not as forgiving of the Germans as her husband, still mourning the death of their older son caused by a German bomb a few years earlier. Over time, she sees Stefan as less of the German enemy and more of him as a man and a friend. All the while, Rachel feels so distant from her own husband--they having been separated for so long, and he is seemingly unable to tap into her grief or to fully understand it, perhaps himself so focused on rebuilding Hamburg that he can't properly grieve or see what his wife truly needs from him.
I loved how the son, Edmund, was written, so realistic, so on point as a boy on the verge of becoming a young man, on the verge of understanding and taking the world in differently. I will admit that when I first picked this book up, I thought he would be older and perhaps there would be some kind of romance between he and Freda, Stefan's daughter, but I'm so glad the author didn't do that and chose to write Edmund at eleven, which led to his interactions with some of the "feral" German boys his own age, all of them connecting to one of the tragic moments in the book.
There is some sadness in this book, but the author didn't throw anything in for shock value and left us with a great deal of hope for these characters. I do have one complaint, the reason I gave this book four stars instead of five, and I will offer this in spoiler tags:
I think this will be enough for most people, but I'm greedy, and I wanted more. I wanted to see them as part of the epilogue, as we saw the Luberts. I wanted to see them and Edmund in the near future. I wanted to know they were okay. I was also curious if Lewis ever had an affair with his interpreter. I think he sent her to London to keep that from happening, but I can't be sure.
There is also a part of me that wanted Rachel and Stefan to end up together. It was rather convenient that Claudia was still alive and not a total shock. It allowed Stefan to be happy again and allowed Rachel to return to her husband without having to feel sorrow for the man she'd grown so close to. But, as detached as Lewis was, he was a good man, and he deserved to have his wife. I'm glad it ended that way, but, as mentioned above, I wanted to see more of them in the end!
A very enjoyable read.
The owner, Stefan Lubert, is a widower and is grateful for Lewis' kindness while his daughter is not so easily won over. I loved the relationship that developed between these people, especially that of Morgan's wife, Rachel, and Stefan, who she at first tried to keep at arm's length, not as forgiving of the Germans as her husband, still mourning the death of their older son caused by a German bomb a few years earlier. Over time, she sees Stefan as less of the German enemy and more of him as a man and a friend. All the while, Rachel feels so distant from her own husband--they having been separated for so long, and he is seemingly unable to tap into her grief or to fully understand it, perhaps himself so focused on rebuilding Hamburg that he can't properly grieve or see what his wife truly needs from him.
I loved how the son, Edmund, was written, so realistic, so on point as a boy on the verge of becoming a young man, on the verge of understanding and taking the world in differently. I will admit that when I first picked this book up, I thought he would be older and perhaps there would be some kind of romance between he and Freda, Stefan's daughter, but I'm so glad the author didn't do that and chose to write Edmund at eleven, which led to his interactions with some of the "feral" German boys his own age, all of them connecting to one of the tragic moments in the book.
There is some sadness in this book, but the author didn't throw anything in for shock value and left us with a great deal of hope for these characters. I do have one complaint, the reason I gave this book four stars instead of five, and I will offer this in spoiler tags:
Spoiler
What bothered me was that Rachel's affair with Stefan was never discussed between Lewis and Rachel, at least not for the benefit of us, the readers. I think the author felt it unnecessary to go down that path, somewhat alluding to Lewis knowing but not spelling it out. There is a moment of tenderness at the piano when Rachel tells Lewis she loves him, something she doesn't say lightly, and then Lewis cries, finally mourning for his son, Michael. I think this is meant to be the "epilogue" of their story, to say that Rachel's love for her husband has been reignited, that she never really wanted to leave him, and that Lewis is changing too, finally grieving for the son they lost, perhaps now able to connect to his wife again in a way he'd not been able to before.I think this will be enough for most people, but I'm greedy, and I wanted more. I wanted to see them as part of the epilogue, as we saw the Luberts. I wanted to see them and Edmund in the near future. I wanted to know they were okay. I was also curious if Lewis ever had an affair with his interpreter. I think he sent her to London to keep that from happening, but I can't be sure.
There is also a part of me that wanted Rachel and Stefan to end up together. It was rather convenient that Claudia was still alive and not a total shock. It allowed Stefan to be happy again and allowed Rachel to return to her husband without having to feel sorrow for the man she'd grown so close to. But, as detached as Lewis was, he was a good man, and he deserved to have his wife. I'm glad it ended that way, but, as mentioned above, I wanted to see more of them in the end!
A very enjoyable read.