After

By Anna Todd

‘Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same,’ (Bronte, Wuthering Heights)

You may have heard or seen the movie on Netflix called After. Well, its a book and the story started out on Wattpad. I find Wattpad fascinating. It allows authors to have complete freedom over their books, giving them creative control throughout their whole process. I find this process to publishing a book very interesting. Anna Todd had her story written, thousands of fans who loved the book, it makes me think about the role the publisher would have played and how much of an impact they had on the story. The author would’ve had a lot of power and fans to back her, therefore if she had used a more traditional way to publish her book, would it have been different? More or less successful? It’s very new, very interesting and very exciting for the creative industry and the artists within.

I decided I was going to read the book when I found out the second movie was on in the cinema and everyone and their Mum’s were buzzing for it. I was very disappointed (but at the same time, excited for the author and her success) when I found out it wasn’t going to be on Netflix first and I would probably have to wait until it was, as I was sure I wouldn’t be going to the cinema anytime soon. So, I invested on the series and I am so happy that I did. The past few years I have struggled to read, my degree and masters revolved around reading which made it difficult for me to enjoy it in my spare time, but these books have made me fall in love with reading all over again.

The story follows Tessa, a young girl starting college in Washington. Tessa’s character is very put together, she has a plan that she intends to follow, a boyfriend who she intends to spend the rest of her life with and no intention of making any changes to that. Then comes along Hardin. He is the complete opposite, he hates everyone, even himself. But somehow, she is drawn to him. The story follows them and how their relationship develops. I really struggled to put the book down. After seeing the movie I had an idea of what was going to happen, however the movie misses a lot out which makes a massive difference to the story line. The book is fast paced and I think that is what made it hard to stop reading, there was always something happening, something that made me need to know what was going to happen next.

Once I finished the first book, I needed to read the second. I managed to finish the series in just over two weeks. The first book put me through many different emotions and by the end of it, I felt everything Tessa was feeling, I don’t know whether Anna Todd is just that good or if the book was pulling on emotions I had felt before but either way, I was fully invested. The book leaves you on the biggest cliff hanger of your life, which made me immediately put down the first book and pick up the second. However, Todd completely turns the story on it’s head. By the end of the first book, I was DONE with Hardin. He had f**ked it for me and Tessa. But then, Todd lets us into his brain, and the rest of the series is told by both of their perspectives. Hardin finally lets us in and we can see him, know the reason for his actions and start to emphasise with him too. Their love is addictive to them but also to the reader. I found myself wanting it to work out, waiting for Hardin to come back. The book is set just over a year and watching both characters grow is incredible. If I were to read the book from the beginning, I don’t think I would recognise Tessa. I will admit, the series is very long. Each book, (especially the third one) is a big chunk of words. There were times through their relationship where I just wanted to shake Tessa and tell her to move on, there were times where I felt like Todd needed to leave Tessa and Hardin alone and let them be happy, their relationship became exhausting for me let alone the two of them. Even though both characters were so complex, they deserved some simplicity and happiness in their lives. It became tedious, that they were always having issues. However through all of that, they were still addictive to read.

In other parts I found the fourth wall of the story being broken, when Hardin (who is English) was using American terms instead of the English, I thought that perhaps a little more research into English colloquialism would’ve gone a long way, but then perhaps an American audience wouldn’t understand and therefore in terms of practicality, it might be easier this way.

I also think that the ending of the series as a whole was a bit too easy, and too rushed. I don’t want to give away the ending to anyone, especially since its a mammoth to get there but I just felt after reading their story (so much of their story) and seeing the most intimate parts of it, I didn’t feel like the ending was about them, it was about two strangers. I know the books couldn’t go on forever but I wasn’t satisfied by their ending, it feels unfinished (which is odd, because it’s very clearly an ending), I needed more I think, I can’t quite explain it. When I was younger, and I had just finished Pride and Prejudice, I was furious by the ending, the complicated story line and relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy ended so simply, I wanted a happy ending but like I said it felt too easy, and for me I think that’s the only way I can compare it. I’m not sure whether that will make sense to anyone, or perhaps I am just a massive pessimist.

Nevertheless, I really recommend reading this series. It’s different to the books I have read, it’s honest about love, it shows the good, the bad and the really bad. I haven’t yet read the prequel to the books, but perhaps I’ll let you know how I get on.