Aftermath

"Aftermath "is set in East Breed's, Pennsylvania, a blue-collar town that simmers with barely concealed prejudices and unspoken rules. One Friday night in the parking lot of a chain restaurant, class tension erupts in a brutal fight between the privileged boys from St. Brendan's and a group of kids from the local high school. Casey Fielder, the restaurant's manager, watches the melee but does nothing to stop it. When the fight ends, Colin Chase, a handsome, cocky student at St. Brendan's, is left severely brain-damaged. In a compelling and at times heartbreaking narrative, Brian Shawver portrays the lasting effects of one night. Casey, ostracized by his unforgivable behavior, loses his job and dedicates himself to investigating the causes of the fight, hoping that his discoveries will provide some justification for his failure to act. For Lea, Colin's mother, the incident ironically offers a way to reclaim the defiant, arrogant son she hardly knew and could barely love. Although she hopes that the guilty boy will be found and punished, Lea can't escape the feeling that Colin somehow brought the horror upon himself. As she looks for clues that will help her understand him, she discovers his apparent devotion to a young woman named Jenny, and she seizes on this relationship as the key that will finally allow her to love her son unconditionally.

Review :
"[A] moving study of class division and its tension . . . Often heartbreaking and sometimes shocking, ["Aftermath"] is an intense, harrowing look at not only an ugly crime but also its agonizing consequences." -"Library Journal" (starred review) "Shawver painstakingly strips away layers of denial and collusion, painting a depressingly realistic picture of 'class warfare' and moral instability in everyday America. There are partial echoes of Jane Hamilton's "A Map of the World" and Rosellen Brown's "Tender Mercies", but Shawver knows his territory and characters, and his workmanlike thoroughness gives this sad story heartwrenching intensity." -"Kirkus Reviews" Powerful and moving..."Aftermath" creates an impressive story of loss and love within the story of the effects of brutality." -"The Kansas City Star" ""Aftermath" is a moving, absorbing novel. Brian Shawver is a wonderful, elegant writer, with a fine moral sense and an arresting, compassionate ability to understand people in crisis." -Patricia Duncker, author of "Hallucinating Foucault" " [A] moving study of class division and its tension . . . Often heartbreaking and sometimes shocking, ["Aftermath"] is an intense, harrowing look at not only an ugly crime but also its agonizing consequences." - "Library Journal" (starred review) " Shawver painstakingly strips away layers of denial and collusion, painting a depressingly realistic picture of ' class warfare' and moral instability in everyday America. There are partial echoes of Jane Hamilton' s "A Map of the World" and Rosellen Brown' s "Tender Mercies," but Shawver knows his territory and characters, and his workmanlike thoroughness gives this sad story heartwrenching intensity." - "Kirkus Reviews" Powerful and moving..."Aftermath" creates an impressive story of loss and love within the story of the effects of brutality." - "The Kansas City Star" " "Aftermath" is a moving, absorbing novel. Brian Shawver is a wonderful, elegant writer, with a fine moral sense and an arresting, compassionate ability to understand people in crisis." - Patricia Duncker, author of "Hallucinating Foucault" "[A] moving study of class division and its tension . . . Often heartbreaking and sometimes shocking, ["Aftermath"] is an intense, harrowing look at not only an ugly crime but also its agonizing consequences." -"Library Journal" (starred review) "Shawver painstakingly strips away layers of denial and collusion, painting a depressingly realistic picture of 'class warfare' and moral instability in everyday America. There are partial echoes of Jane Hamilton's "A Map of the World" and Rosellen Brown's "Tender Mercies," but Shawver knows his territory and characters, and his workmanlike thoroughness gives this sad story heartwrenching intensity." -"Kirkus Reviews" Powerful and moving..."Aftermath" creates an impressive story of loss and love within the story of the effects of brutality." -"The Kansas City Star" ""Aftermath" is a moving, absorbing novel. Brian Shawver is a wonderful, elegant writer, with a fine moral sense and an arresting, compassionate ability to understand people in crisis." -Patricia Duncker, author of "Hallucinating Foucault" Praise for "Aftermath "[A] moving study of class division and its tension . . . Often heartbreaking and sometimes shocking, ["Aftermath] is an intense, harrowing look at not only an ugly crime but also its agonizing consequences." -"Library Journal (starred review) "Shawver painstakingly strips away layers of denial and collusion, painting a depressingly realistic picture of 'class warfare' and moral instability in everyday America. There are partial echoes of Jane Hamilton's "A Map of the World and Rosellen Brown's "Tender Mercies, but Shawver knows his territory and characters, and his workmanlike thoroughness gives this sad story heartwrenching intensity." -"Kirkus Reviews ""Aftermath is a moving, absorbing novel. Brian Shawver is a wonderful, elegant writer, with a fine moral sense and an arresting, compassionate ability to understand people in crisis." --Patricia Duncker, author of "Hallucinating Foucault