Afterward

Gr 7 Up—Dylan Anderson has been kidnapped. Some days later he is rescued and the kidnapper killed, but another victim, teenage Ethan Jorgenson, is found in the same house. Ethan had been held by the kidnapper for four years. With Dylan back home, his older sister Caroline, feeling profoundly guilty, since she was supposed to be caring for him that day, wants to know more. But Dylan, who has autism, doesn't talk. Meanwhile, Ethan is trying to assimilate back into the world he was taken from. When Caroline reaches out to him, he wants to be friends with her, but he knows something that could destroy their tenuous rapport—he was the one who snatched Dylan, under threat from their abuser. This novel offers great insight into the trauma that kidnap victims and their families face after such a horrifying experience. Nina Alvamar and Jeffrey Brick bring Caroline and Ethan to life, giving voice to this moving and gripping story. There are sexual situations and mild profanity.