Here in the After

Description

Two damaged people, one unlikely friendship and a way to find hope in the darkness. Anna has survived the worst. So has Nat. Two broken souls, struggling to find a place in a world they no longer fit. Anna, 62, is the victim of a terrorist attack in which eleven others were murdered. Nat, 35, is an Army veteran who fought in Afghanistan. They have so little in common. And so much. A friendship stirs between them, tentative and unlikely, its foundation the violence they have seen and the memories that stalk them. Together, they begin to search for a way back home. But when Nat's wife falls unexpectedly pregnant, terrible ghosts from his wartime past rise up and much more than a friendship is at stake. Here in the After is a poignant and uplifting exploration of the legacy of trauma and the healing power of connection. 'Bold, unflinching and courageous, this book dives with sensitivity and compassion into the dark shadows of PTSD to uncover light and acceptance. Heartbreaking and devastating, but luminous, tender and hopeful. The last book I read that moved me so deeply was A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.' Karen Viggers, author of The Orchardist's Daughter 'A moving meditation on the toll trauma takes on the body and mind, and the human connection that can be its balm.' Vanessa McCausland, author of The Lost Summers of Driftwood 'Powerful, insightful and ultimately hopeful, Here in the After is a compelling and poignant exploration of the price exacted by terror and warfare and the redemptive powers of an unlikely friendship.' Suzanne Leal, author of The Deceptions

Marion Frith is a former journalist, communications specialist and speechwriter. She has worked for major Australian newspapers and the ABC, in Canberra, Sydney, and London. She was based for many years in the Canberra Press Gallery. As a journalist she regularly wrote on the political becoming the personal, how government policy and decision-making impacts individual lives from a social justice perspective. As a speechwriter, she wrote for senior Cabinet ministers, and has worked for several NGOs on their media campaigns. Here, in the After is her first novel. She lives in Sydney.