Afterlove: Tik Tok made me buy it!

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Such a portrayal misrepresents a large sector of the country and has Trinidadians like myself feeling alienated when Caribbean literature like this should have me feeling connected. A lot of themes are explored in Love After Love with love being the grounding theme. Persaud showcase the different forms of love and the different ways we love or show love. I have to admit, I enjoyed hearing from a 40 year old women about what it is like dating at that age in Trinidad and Tobago- it was so well done and I find we don’t read a lot about “older” Caribbean women dating and finding love. There is the theme of friendship and what that "should" look like, and I felt Persaud did just a spectacular job of taking us into a real genuine friendship between Betty and Mr. Chetan- I think that was so well explored and I wanted more of it. At times I saw the complete flaws in each of the three main characters armour, but I also saw their strengths. In the book, we follow Ash as she meets and falls in love with Poppy. But then the unthinkable happens and Ash wakes up, neither quite dead nor quite alive, but in between. A reaper, tasked with escorting the souls of the dead to the afterlife. But unaccustomed to the alcohol, Betty's tongue is loosened and when she confides in Chetan with her deepest, darkest secret, she is unaware that Solo (now almost an adult) has overheard. It sets in motion a train of events that will split up the family and take Solo to New York, to find refuge with his dad's younger brother, Uncle Hari.

The film had its premiere at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival during the Industry Selects program, a film market programme for films seeking commercial distribution. [3] Throughout 2020, After Love was screened at BFI London Film Festival, [4] Rome Film Festival, [5] and Tokyo International Film Festival. [6] The film was theatrically released in the United Kingdom on 4 June 2021. [7] Reception [ edit ] Critical reception [ edit ] The only negative thing I would say about this novel is that I would have liked to see more of Ash’s grief for her family and her best friend. She was very close with her parents and her sister, and we don't see a lot of grief displayed from Ash with the fact that she can never see them again. Obviously, as it’s a love story, the focus was on her relationship with Poppy, but it would have been nice to see more of a grieving process.Anyway, that aside, I did LOVE the book and have already recommended it to so many people. Really happy that it was our book club book of the month. The characters were superbly developed, the atmosphere was authentic and the situations, believable. I would absolutely recommend to Caribbean readers, and to none Caribbean readers if you do read it, just know that we don’t always speak in this vernacular and if you do read it, appreciate it for what it is. A beautiful tale about an unconventional Indo-Trini family. And then, the love story, i don’t have words, Poppy was ash’s first love, the person who really saw Ash and want to know her in every way possible, poppy love her out loud. Not even death separated them.

Ash was such a relatable character, and I really felt a connection to her throughout the novel, with memories of my own teenage loves (albeit mine were not quite as epic as this). Poppy also seemed like such a lovely human being, never judging Ash for their difference in upbringing (Poppy has grown up very wealthy and Ash not so much) and she loves her for who she is completely. I've been looking forward to reading this novel all year, but I didn't expect it to warm my heart quite as much as it did. A wonderful literary antidote to all the negativity 2020 has spread everywhere. Although the ending had me choke-sobbing, I am left with an overall lasting impression of joy. But it's not the task of trans people to educate every single author on this planet. Honestly, if you can do your research on myths or the 17th century or whatever - you can spend a minute to educate yourself about transphobia and how to avoid including it in your writing. Oh my goodness. What a read! Probably the best book I’ve read in years. No wonder there was such a bidding war over it. Ugh. What a bummer. Initially I was enjoying this book due to Persaud's choice of writing it in Trini Creole. It felt authentic and certainly helped to bring the characters to life. Her descriptions of traditional foods and the community also helped to further immerse me in the story. And that's where the praise ends.

Another thing I loved about this book is how Ash’s sexuality is portrayed. It was one the things that kept me hooked to this book, the sixteen year-old version of me that still exists somewhere within, felt understood and represented in these words. As I mentioned before, the author speaks from her undeniable truth, making this book feel real and honest. Ash is a queer sixteen year-old girl who lives in one of the most inclusive cities in the UK: Brighton. However, the reality is that when you’re a queer teenager, finding a date, no matter where that is, it is still a nightmare. And when you finally have one, most of the times it doesn’t go as expected. We can see through Ash’s thoughts how her heart has been broken many times in spite of her age and how she thinks she will never find love. It is never easy to admit who you are and accept yourself as you are but it is even harder if you’re not what society expects you to be. Regardless of all that, Ash finds Poppy Morgan, the person that takes her breath away and makes her heart beat faster. The one who shows her that despite of all the obstacles she has found in her path, in the end she can be happy next to the person she loves. Suspicious, Mary takes a ferry across the English Channel to Calais to find Genevieve. After meeting her, Genevieve mistakes Mary for a cleaning lady and invites her inside for work. Genevieve lives with her son Solomon (Talid Ariss), who she appears to be on uneasy terms with, and both of them plan to move away in a few days. They're both unaware that Ahmed has died. Mary hides her true identity and poses as a cleaner so she can learn more information. While at her house, she notices multiple articles of Ahmed's clothing. After walking in on a home movie tape with Genevieve, Ahmed, and Solomon, Mary realizes Genevieve and Solomon were Ahmed's secret family for many years. Love After Love is Ingrid Persaud’s sophomore novel that examines… well, love! The book is set in Trinidad and Tobago and follows the life of Betty Ramdin, her son Solo and Mr. Chetan.