A bit of a sad book, with brilliant characters that go through the process of recovering from a bereavement ( )

I really enjoyed Martine McDonagh’s debut novel 'I Have Waited and You Have Come', which was a dystopian psychodrama, so I was very happy to read her second novel – but it couldn’t be more different to her first.

It’s Christmas, December 1973, and we meet the Jacobs family: lefty hippy parents JJ and Katherine, son Phoenix – just back from his first term at uni, and fifteen year old daughter Penny. Phoenix is overjoyed at having persuaded his parents to get him a motorbike for Christmas. Penny did well out of that too, getting the record player she was desperate for. Cut to New Year’s Eve – partytime at the Jacobs house. Phoenix has a fumble with Penny’s best friend Jackie – she’ll not let Penny know who she did it with. Cut to the New Year – January 1974. Phoenix is dead – his too big helmet slipped, he lost control of his motorbike and hit a van.

Katherine and JJ are catapulted into freefall in their grief. Katherine blames JJ for persuading her to let him have the bike. She can no longer talk to him. JJ responds by giving her the space she appears to want – he retreats into his shed, his home office where he writes his newspaper columns, eventually moving in there completely. It’s left to Penny to carry on as normal and look after things, as her parents’ relationship gets worse and worse. Then one day Katherine snaps. She realises she needs help and signs herself in to the local psychiatric hospital – it’s the beginning of the long road to recovery.

This book is raw. Between Katherine’s breakdown and JJ’s compassionate yet silent disbelief at what happened, this novel needs the life goes on attitude of teenager Penny to give some breathing space. That’s not to say that Penny doesn’t feel grieve for her stupid brother Phoenix too. Each of the Jacobs family members has to find a way to deal with it separately before they can begin to come together again. JJ the hermit, throws himself into his work; Katherine gradually restores her sanity; and Penny gets fed up with Jackie, and makes new friends.

On an aside, in the early 1980s and in my twenties, I had a motorbike for around five years, and I had my fair share of hairy experiences. I came off it twice, but I had spent out on all the gear, and I was lucky. I never told my parents about the bike until after I’d sold it. So, I can understand Phoenix’s desire for the bike. It was a cheap and affordable option for independent transport in those days. I can also understand Katherine’s reaction and grief. I’m very glad that my daughter will want to learn to drive a car.

With each chapter titled after a pop hit of the day, the period details in After Phoenix were spot on – I remember it well. The regime in the hospital too was horribly as expected. Despite beginning with a tragedy, this book is never entirely without hope though and is a powerful portrait of grief and how time heals. Powerful stuff. ( )