Then

A teenage girl falls ill with a mysterious fever in London during the summer. Her mother narrates the events that follow as their family faces an inexplicable situation that tests their bonds and beliefs. The story moves between past and present, examining the relationship between mother and daughter before and during the crisis. The narrative explores themes of memory, truth-telling, and how families cope with sudden upheaval. The novel takes place in two time periods - a hot London summer and twenty years earlier in the 1980s. The dual timeline creates connections between different moments of crisis in the family's history. Through this intimate family portrait, Myerson examines how trauma reverberates through generations and questions what parents owe their children in times of crisis. The book poses questions about memory's role in healing and the limits of maternal protection.

Readers describe this book as dark, unsettling, and emotionally draining. Many struggle to finish it due to the heavy subject matter about grief and loss. Positive reviews note: - Raw, honest portrayal of a mother's grief - Effective use of fragmented narrative style - Powerful descriptions of trauma's impact - Strong character development Common criticisms: - Confusing timeline and structure - Too repetitive in descriptions - Depressing tone becomes overwhelming - Some find the narrator unlikeable Review Scores: Goodreads: 3.5/5 (2,000+ ratings) Amazon UK: 3.8/5 (500+ ratings) "The fractured narrative perfectly captures the scattered thoughts of profound grief" - Goodreads reviewer "Found myself having to take breaks because it was so emotionally intense" - Amazon reviewer "The circular, repetitive writing style made it a frustrating read" - Goodreads reviewer Most agree it's a challenging but impactful read that requires emotional preparation.

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🌟 Julie Myerson wrote Then after experiencing a vivid nightmare about her children being in danger, which became the seed for the novel's post-apocalyptic narrative. 🌟 The book's stark winter setting was inspired by London during the "Big Freeze" of 2009-2010, one of the coldest winters in the UK in over 30 years. 🌟 Then breaks from traditional post-apocalyptic conventions by never explicitly revealing what caused the catastrophic event at the center of the story. 🌟 The novel sparked controversy for its unflinching portrayal of violence against children, leading to heated debates about acceptable boundaries in literary fiction. 🌟 Myerson wrote the first draft in just six weeks, working in an almost fever-like state that she later described as matching the psychological intensity of her protagonist.