Find Me After

By Author / Illustrator
A. Connors
Genre
Science Fiction
Age range(s)
14+
Publisher
Scholastic
ISBN
9780702331367
Format
Paperback / softback
Published
04-07-2024
Synopsis
Where do you go when you're not quite gone? After suffering an epileptic seizure, Kyle finds himself in a world that looks like ours but where nothing feels the same. This is the Stillness: an eerie, liminal alternative reality populated by those who are caught between life and death. Here, he meets his real-world crush, Farah, who is also unconscious back home. But as they get to know each other in the Stillness, they must face the possibility of forgetting each other in the real world. The way back to life is fraught with danger, and time, for both of them, is running out...
A. Connors was inspired to write this novel based on his own experience with epilepsy. A slow-burn romance at the centre of the story that is perfect for anyone who loves BookTok tropes #forcedproximity and #friendstolovers. The Stillness is a wildly imaginative world that will appeal to fans of Erik J Brown, Patrick Ness and Netflix's Stranger Things.
"Gripping and imaginative" - Lauren James, author of The Loneliest Girl in the Universe. "Mind-blowing!" - Brianna Bourne, author of You & Me at the End of the World.
More praise for Find Me After: "Wow! Find Me After is an absorbing and thought-provoking novel that explores some big themes... Connors' smart prose and tense plot make for a gripping and fast-paced read, but I also loved the tender love story at its core." - Jan Dunning, author of Mirror Me. "I loved this book. Imaginative and hauntingly real." - Emma Gray. Praise for The Girl Who Broke the Sea, A. Connors' debut novel: "An atmospheric, satisfying YA sci-fi thriller" - Guardian. "An ominous, evocative science-fiction thriller" - New Scientist.
Reviews
Clair
Find Me After begins with a trigger warning; it explores the fragility of life and was inspired by the author's own life experience with epilepsy. I found the book highly thought-provoking, it is a real page turner and as always with a good book, I read it in a short space of time as I could not put it down!
I was a little apprehensive about reading Find Me After because it touches on a topic that is a little too close to home for me at the moment. However, it is written in such a way that the more serious moments are broken up with a budding romance between the main character Kyle and his love interest, Farah, or with flashbacks to his real life.
This book is ultimately full of hope. It begins in a realistic way but, following Kyle's epileptic seizure, the atmosphere shifts and he wakes in an eerie, still world where nothing feels quite right. He discovers that he is caught in a place between life and death. The pace really picks up upon meeting Jonah in the "after world".
There is a lot of action and some really tense moments which make Find Me After unputdownable. There’s also an element of religion and philosophy, as Kyle's mum explored her Christian faith and joined various different faith groups.
This book would be brilliant for a YA book club as it would prompt so much debate. It will appeal to readers who enjoy science fiction, dystopia, murder, mystery and romance. The perfect choice for fans of Patrick Ness or Stranger Things. Content of note: Epilepsy, Brain Cancer, head injury, knife violence & murder.
352 pages / Reviewed by Clair Bossons, school librarian
Suggested Reading Age 14+