After, by Amy Efaw

Whew, another tough read. But this one does what Nic Sheff's Tweak never did - gives insight into the human condition. The author explores how a wrong turn in life, in this case an unplanned pregnancy, can drive a teen into a nightmare of denial, isolation, criminal abandonment of the baby, juvenile detention, court proceedings, prison.

The book opens with Devon barely conscious right after giving birth to a baby alone in the bathroom of the apartment she shares with her single/always on the make mother. She is hemorrhaging, and the baby is in the trash can behind the apartment complex. The baby is found and saved, but the reader is left with a journey from horror at the act Devon has just committed to eventual understanding of the emotional nightmare that could drive her to that unspeakable act and through the legal consequences that will decide her future. This is a tough read, but at the end the reader may better understand the issues, develop empathy for a main character who is at first hard to like, and come to admire the people who help girls like Devon.