Review of "In the After"

"I've learned to live in a soundless world."

     In the After, Demitria Lunetta's thrilling YA tale of apocalyptic survival, takes place in a world where the smallest sound is a death sentence. Amy Harris was watching television when They came--vicious, human-shaped aliens who hunted mankind almost to extinction. Three years later, she and Baby, a child she rescued in the early days of the After, are some of the only people still alive. She and Baby are silent, communicating through a modified version of American Sign Language to avoid drawing attention from Them. Together, the two scavenge for food and hunker down within the safety of Amy's childhood home, surrounded by an electric fence provided by her late mother's paranoia. One fateful day, Amy and Baby stumble upon a colony of survivors who have managed to build a life for themselves. But these people aren't everything they seem, and if Amy isn't careful, she could end up dead. Or, worse, she could lose Baby forever.

     Amy Harris is a brilliant character. She's strong, fast, and deadly silent, surviving confrontations with competitive neighbors and terrifying encounters with Them. Yet, somehow, Lunetta manages to prevent her from becoming too good at what she does; she makes mistakes, and pays for them, as do those around her. In the After, everything is a life-or-death risk, something that is portrayed extraordinarily realistically. Baby is also fascinating, with her quirks and almost haunting quietness. When a girl who uses her mouth to talk barges into the story, the ripple effects are grounded in logic. And when the people of New Hope arrive on the scene, Amy and Baby's reactions send the narrative into a new, equally powerful plot with its fair share of chilling moments.

     Though Amy narrates her story, how she tells it is constantly in flux. Sometimes she'll retreat into a memory of Before They came, or interweave the present with the very recent past. While this can seem a little strange at times, it makes sense in the end and is never confusing. Otherwise, the prose is perfectly paced, easily balancing action and rest without losing hold on the tension for even a sentence. There aren't very many plot twists, but the ones that do make an appearance are truly game-changing shocks.

     This is not a children's book. Although she doesn't go into great detail on Their feeding habits, Amy often takes note of three-year-old bloodstains and moments when the creatures feed. A few minor characters die at the claws of Them, which is understood to be gory but mostly left to the imagination. Characters swear very rarely, kiss, and violently prevent others from taking advantage of them. That aside, however, the romance is clean, minor, and manages not to interfere with the characters' mental functions, as it does in other tales.

     I would recommend this book to teens and adults looking for a chilling apocalyptic world where the danger is very real. Amy is a great character who is easy to relate to and sympathize with, even when she has to make hard decisions that could easily render her unlikable if it weren't for her motivation. Baby serves as a wonderful anchor and companion, contributing a surprising amount to the already-solid plot. For thrills, an amazing cast, and a frighteningly real apocalypse, Demitria Lunetta's In the After deserves five stars.