On my way to return some library books, I made my usual detour to the nearby second-hand bookstore. It’s become a bit of a ritual—popping in to see what’s on display or digging through the hidden back corner where I’ve discovered some real gems. This time, I came across The Afterpains by Anna Julia Stainsby. The cover struck me as oddly familiar, though I couldn’t pinpoint why. Intrigued, I read the synopsis—and that was all it took to sell me on it. I later figured out why it was familiar. I had the audiobook that I got months ago through the Libro influencer ALC.
Over the years, I’ve noticed I gravitate toward heavier, emotionally rich stories. They stay with me, pulling me into the characters’ lives and leaving a lasting impression. As much as I debated against buying The Afterpains (the unread books on my shelf are practically begging me), I couldn’t resist. I even checked my library app to see if it was available there—no luck. So, for $9, it came home with me, with a promise to myself that I’d read it before the year ended. And I did.
Synopsis
“Nearly twenty years after the death of her infant daughter, Rosy is still reeling from all that she’s lost. Desperate to repair the connections to the family she does have—her husband, Desmond, and her eighteen-year-old son, Eddie—she’s determined to lay her grief to rest by the twentieth anniversary of her daughter’s death.
At the same time, Isaura dreads what may be coming for her teenage daughter, Mivi. For centuries in her homeland of Honduras, the young women in Isaura’s family have been subjected to a curse of teenage motherhood and the untimely death of the men they loved. But even after moving thousands of miles away from Pespire to Toronto, Isaura fears that her daughter will not be spared.
Soon, Rosy and Isaura, essentially strangers, become connected in a way neither of them could predict. As they try to look to their future and their children’s, they struggle to put the past behind them—all while Eddie and Mivi contend with the weight of their mothers’ pain and guilt.”
My thoughts
Set in Toronto—for the most part, The Afterpains follows two families: one consumed by grief and the other by a family curse. The story alternates between the POVs of different characters, such as Vivian, the dead daughter looking over her grieving family; Rosy, the mother struggling to navigate an all-encompassing grief; Isaura, a single mother grappling with past traumas while raising her daughter; and Mivi, Isaura’s daughter, who struggles with a sense of belonging.
What stood out most was the nuanced depiction of grief. Rosy’s pain after the loss of her infant to SIDS was palpable throughout the story. Though I admit I sometimes grew frustrated with her inability to connect with Eddie, her living child, I quickly realized the situation had definitely shifted from grief to pathological bereavement. Loss, and how people deal with it, is not something that can be explained in a palatable way, and I understood that. I also appreciated that the author didn’t shy away from showing how grief affected Rosy’s husband, too.
Another theme explored was friendship, and I loved how the author connected the two families and their stories. I thought it was brilliant. It added some tension to the narrative. Anna Julia Stainsby captures complex emotions in a way that feels raw and unflinching. It’s weird to say I really enjoyed this, as it wasn’t a happy story—but I did.
“You think I wanted to come here? To start over all alone? No. But mothers don’t think about what they want. They think about what their babies need.”
The Afterpains is a moving and layered story about the scars we carry and the connections that can heal us. It’s not an easy read, but it’s one that lingers long after the last page. Please take care of yourself and check the content warnings before diving in.
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