The 2007 Willow Awards
Snow Willow Nominee
After
Fifteen-year-old Francis's father has committed suicide and nothing will be the same again. Suicide is ugly, unglamorous, and it is never a solution. Its aftermath is dreadful.
At first, Francis feels a terrible guilt. Could he have been a better son? What if he hadn't left his home in Montreal to go on a brief holiday in New York the weekend it happened? Soon the guilt turns to anger and then to a sadness so profound that he thinks he can't bear it.
After is the map of a year following the suicide of a family member In the course of months, with the love of his mother, with counseling, and with the balm of time, Francis takes his first steps toward coming to terms with his father's - and his family's - tragedy. After is intensely personal, but it will resonate with anyone who has faced the loss of a loved one.
This brilliant autobiographical first novel is an acute analysis of the grieving process. Although it is steeped in Francis's sadness, it is ultimately a story of hope.
About the Author
Francis Chalifour is from Toronto, ON
Francis Chalifour was born and raised in Quebec and now lives in Toronto, where he teaches social sciences to grades seven and eight. He is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Education at the University of Ottawa, specializing in the influence of the mourning process on children's learning. Francis has been writing for most of his life. His first published work was the French novel Zoom Papaye, and he has contributed articles to Maclean's, Le Devoir and La Presse. He has also hosted a radio program and worked for Télévision française de l'Ontario.
Selected Bibliography- Le Fils du pendu, Tundra Books, 2006
- After, Tundra Books, 2005
- Zoom Papaye, Les Editions de la Paix, 2002
Book Reviews
Suggested Activities
- Write the lyrics to a song based on Francis' experience of loosing his father that Francis would write and sing if he were to become a rock star. Would this help Francis come to terms with his guilt?
- Write five blog entries that detail events that helped Francis deal with his father's death.
- There are customarily five stages in dealing with the death of a loved one and periods of grieving between them. Find evidence of how Francis copes with death. Note that the stages will not necessarily occur in the order given, nor will each stage necisarily be reached. The five stages are denial(loneliness, guilt), anger, bargaining, depression(greater self awareness, growing closeness to others), acceptance. Show Francis' journey as a circle graph. Make three concentric circles. In the middle one place Francis' name and the theme. In the second circle, write the stages of grief. In the outer circle, write the events in the story that match the stage of grief.
- Learn about self help groups in your community. Prepare a poster advertising these groups.
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