Afterwards - Tapa dura

"'Contains vast themes of war and kinship, grief and terror, love and trust. This is the short story at its best.' Sunday Times * 'Seiffert is a writer of great delicacy and toughness... There's nothing frail about Field Study, which is immensely strong and proves in itself the happiest of outcomes - good story begetting good story after good story.' Guardian 'A startingly powerful debut... Compelling... Deserves praise and prizes in abundance. A remarkable achievement... Not to be missed' Daily Mail * 'Seiffert's powerful book resonates with hope, humanity and understanding. It should be on everyone's reading lists.' Sunday Times"

To love someone, need you know everything about them?

When Alice and Joseph meet, they fall quickly into a tentative but serious relationship. She is a nurse, he a painter and decorator; both are still young and hopeful of each other, but each brings with them an emotional burden. Alice's father has been a yawning absence all her life, and her beloved grandmother - who helped raise her - has recently died.

For his part, Joseph refuses to speak about his army experiences in Northern Ireland and Alice suspects that his general reticence hides an even more deeply troubled past. When her widowed grandfather begins to tell Joseph about his own RAF experiences in l950s Kenya - stories he had shared only with his wife - something still raw is tapped in Joseph; his reaction to the older man's unburdening of guilt is both unexpected and devastating for them all.

Morally complex, understated, and powerfully moving, Afterwards confirms Rachel Seiffert's remarkable talent.

(2004-11-09)