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A review by pamshenanigans
After The Inquiry by Jolene Tan
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
After the Inquiry is an exploration of what it means to seek justice and how being part of a bureaucratic system that has its own world of work politics and corruption where people mostly care about climbing the ranks and making a name for themselves.
I think that’s the beauty of After the Inquiry. You’re thrown, as a reader, into a perspective of a Ministry employee, Teck, investigating what happened between two Sergeants after what seemed to be a closed book for Internal Affairs. The way it was written was a draft of a Ministry report after interviewing parties involved and Teck, from the very start, was proving to be such an airy and dispassionate employee. So you try to read the “report” a.k.a the novel in as much precision and technicality as the two investigators did.
I truly empathized with Nithya because I felt just how disappointed and heartbroken she was when she thought she was working towards justice and unknowingly played a role in the shameful investigation that went against her morals and vision of what it means to be part of the force.
The writing took some time for me to get used to and the plot picks up around the halfway mark but this is a book I’ll certainly always remember when I see news about bureaucratic corruption and injustice.
Trigger/Content Warnings: gun violence, police intimidation, injustice
I think that’s the beauty of After the Inquiry. You’re thrown, as a reader, into a perspective of a Ministry employee, Teck, investigating what happened between two Sergeants after what seemed to be a closed book for Internal Affairs. The way it was written was a draft of a Ministry report after interviewing parties involved and Teck, from the very start, was proving to be such an airy and dispassionate employee. So you try to read the “report” a.k.a the novel in as much precision and technicality as the two investigators did.
I truly empathized with Nithya because I felt just how disappointed and heartbroken she was when she thought she was working towards justice and unknowingly played a role in the shameful investigation that went against her morals and vision of what it means to be part of the force.
The writing took some time for me to get used to and the plot picks up around the halfway mark but this is a book I’ll certainly always remember when I see news about bureaucratic corruption and injustice.
Trigger/Content Warnings: gun violence, police intimidation, injustice
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality
Moderate: Gun violence