My first book from this author. An interesting storyline but at times a bit muddled. Alice’s closest family and friends come together at different times and not necessarily in order but if you can get through that then it’s a good book. Thanks to Lauren and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley

Absolutely brilliant, loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

The story is of Benji and Morgan who have decided to get married 12 years after Benji’s sister (and Morgan’s best friend) Alice took her own life. It jumps between just before the suicide and to the present but not in a particularly coherent way. The switching between timelines is very confusing and happens randomly with no real relevance to the “present” story. Despite the random time line switches I found the book very slow and the majority of the characters were dull and forgettable.

One of the most irritating things in his book is the authors use of incredibly obscure words. I consider myself fairly well read but had no idea what some of the words she used meant and had to keep checking. Most of the time there was a more common word that could have been used with no loss of integrity to the book and it came across as trying too hard.

This was an incredibly emotional book with a brilliant storyline which will stay with me for a long time.

Definitely keen to read more from this author

I probably wasn't in the right mindset to fully enjoy this book. I found it quite descriptive, which took me away from the storyline. An emotional read

This story was moving and rather sad. As a reader I came away with a new perspective on grief and a better understanding of the long lasting effects suicide can bring to those left behind.

I didn’t enjoy this book as it was far too long winded.
I felt that the author was showing how clever she is by stringing long words together instead of wondering if the reader was engaging with the book.
Far too much waffle and too disjointed.

This is the story of two families coming back together after a death, the death of Alice. Unfortunately this one just didn't do it for me at all. A great idea for a story but I just couldn't get into it.

This is a tedious tale in which the flowery language and use of obscure words and turns of phrase killed off any interest in the characters.

Opening with the devastating premature ending of sixteen year old talented violinist Alice’s life, this novel slowly unravels the knots of the tangled relationships between her family members and friends and describes what led to this tragic event.

Twelve years later, Alice’s brother, Benji, issues invitations for his wedding to Morgan, formerly Alice’s best friend, hoping that past resentments and hostility will finally be laid aside. They’d kept their relationship secret for years to avoid bad reactions from their families, now they want to celebrate their union in peace.

The weekend of the wedding arrives and so do the guests, who are all carrying heavy emotional baggage. Each person’s perspective is described by the author as the narrative jumps backwards and forwards between them and examines their thoughts, actions and feelings during the period leading up to Alice’s untimely death.

There are several thoughtful insights about grief and its impactful, lingering effects, which I appreciated, and each character is fully fleshed out as the all too human, flawed individuals they are, capable of both duplicity and love. The prologue is excellent for the pathos it evokes.

The book is undeniably beautifully written in places, but I think Green goes a bit overboard with the verbosity of her prose, as if she’s aiming for the least used word and oddest metaphor, and is seeking to impress. A creditable debut novel. Grateful thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

The vocabulary in this was outstanding!! I liked the juxtaposition of the Jewish religion and some German phrases. A fantastic read with an unusual ending

The World After Alice is a book about two families coming together after the loss of Alice. I found the book quite boring and did not enjoy the writing style.

This book gives an insight into the complexities of family life and how easily the balance of a family can be disrupted.
There’s a stream of sadness running through the story which affects all of the characters and influences their decisions and actions. It’s so well put across that we could all relate to parts of this story, I’m sure.
I particularly enjoyed the way the story went between timelines. This really tells how the family and friends arrived where they are in the ‘present’ of the story. It gave me a feeling of sadness and yet there was hope for the future as well.
The epilogue is excellent! I loved it for the way it brought a closure to the families and their individual part of this story. The image is something I think we all like to believe when we also experience our own version of this part of the story.

Really struggled with this book as found it far too descriptive, it jumped around from different people and timeframes and the language was baffling.

I wanted to like this book but I found it tedious in places. The language (forgive me) is obfuscating. Pretentious in places. It is a reasonable read.

What a beautiful book about how life continues after the loss of someone. I felt this deeply within me and these characters will stay with me for a long time.

This is a great debut but I found myself drifting in and out of this book but I didn’t necessarily connect with the characters in a way that I had hope I would.

This is a tedious tale in which the flowery language and use of obscure words and turns of phrase killed off any interest in the characters. I’m very disappointed it is not the family relationships saga I was expecting.

I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The World After Alice is an impressive debut, but I found Lauren Aliza Green’s writing style quite jarring, with its convoluted sentences and odd choice of words that brought me up short as a reader. Describing a person as “gracile” and a couple as “fused forever in equipoise”. Things like: “The wine had gone to her head, it’s impasto obfuscating her thoughts”. And “He cringed at that wounding incestuous, its pornographic valence”. And “every person he met was a tentacular extension of himself”. It felt like a student trying to be clever rather than a writer relaxed in their ability to communicate. There were many more examples of awkward language, but I only started making notes about half way through. Other people might not find this a problem- I hope they don’t- as it really spoiled my enjoyment of the novel.

3.5 stars

The bride puzzling over the tricky seating plan is Morgan Helmsley, the groom is Benji Weil, an eternal optimist. However, in the ensuing days darkness threatens the nuptials about to take place in Maine. It’s twelve years since the death of 16 year old Alice, Benji’s older sister and Morgan’s friend and in that time Benji‘s parents, Nicholas and Linnie have separated, divorced and rarely meet. Hopefully, Maine will be neutral ground. Nicholas is hiding much from his second wife Caro and behind the scenes is scheming to secure a new job before she learns he has lost his old one six months ago. It seems too, that Morgan is harbouring secrets with the potential of disrupting the weekend, whilst Benji tries to hold it all together and bring harmony before it implodes in their faces. The story is told in the present day and via flashbacks from the perspectives of the key characters.

This is undoubtedly well written and insightful, it is obvious too that the author is erudite but the novel never truly grabs me although I can admire much about it. The undercurrents are undeniable, here sharp words pierce hearts and it’s full of questioning about not only the wedding, but what came before it, in the world after Alice. The grief and loss of Alice is palpable with the novel examining how it affects them and continues to do so. There’s a weight of guilt and the deep cut of pain. Alice is like the spectre at the feast and it overhangs all and that comes across strongly. What Morgan knows about Alice feels like a millstone around her neck and the presence of one guest definitely rattles her and the reasons for that emerge a bit at a time. There’s bitterness and venom from a number of directions and the knowledge of Nicholas’s behaviour at the time of Alice‘s death doesn’t help the situation much.

This is a character driven novel and concerns the dynamics between them. The characterisation is good, they’re flawed and not necessarily likeable and as the novel develops you grow to understand just how intertwined their lives are and not always in a positive way. Your heart breaks for some, others earn some distain and some are admirably resilient.

Although some scenes stand out either for their drama or the raw sadness, the pace is slow for the most part, although that does serve to make any revelations or secrets stand out as they bubble their way to the surface.

Overall, this is a promising debut and an ambitious first novel. I like the fact the author has set the unravelling at the wedding which should be a joyous occasion, but in this case the baggage is just too great for the happiness to be the primary feeling. I’m not so keen on the back-and-forth storytelling which makes it not quite so easy to follow the narrative and it feels a bit disjointed. The ending/epilogue deserves a final mention as that is very good.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.