Sidney Sheldon’s After the Darkness (Novel Review)

Tilly Bagshawe, Sidney Sheldon’s After the Darkness, London: HarperCollins Publishers, 2010, ISBN 978-0-00-739517-0, Rs. 250, ₤7.99, pp. 391.

I never understood the reason for the inclusion of Sidney Sheldon’s name in the title of the book. My first reaction was that it was an unfinished novel but nothing to that effect was mentioned. But really, it doesn’t really matter as long as it’s a good read and worth the while, right? Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but feel that only part of the mystery was solved at the end of the last page.

The story revolves around Grace Brookstein, trophy wife of an American billionaire, Lenny Brookstein, who personifies and preaches the American Dream. Things were going well for the madly-in-love couple. They had everything they needed except ... They were the envy of many including or more appropriately, especially of those they considered close to them. In fact, friendship was the surface of a magma-sea of jealousy, resentment and downright ill-will. Things come to a head one holiday season, when Lenny is lost at sea in a storm. Hardly does Grace recover from this sudden shock that she receives a greater jolt: she and her late husband are accused of pilfering funds from Quorum – their own company. This brings us back to the opening chapter of the book which describes Grace’s trial. She is convicted and sent away to a high security prison. Her whole world had shattered to pieces when Lenny went missing and now it seemed like the pieces of were being crushed underfoot. The remainder of the story is about her life and experiences in prison leading up to a daring escape and a vengeful hunt for Lenny’s killer (she discovers he is killed thanks to the efforts of a private detective – a friend of her cellmate). This half of the book presents a new Grace: A woman transformed from petite, naïve and trusting to tough, shrewd and independent. The change is a bit drastic but prison changes a person, I guess.

 

The latter part of the story is gripping and full of suspense and twists. A critical reading reveals a number of flaws. Fortunately they aren’t very conspicuous. The story is apparently simple and well crafted. The author is very descriptive in presenting parallel narratives that mostly do have at least a slight bearing on the story. Despite the praise the author has received for being able to ape Sidney’s style, I don’t consider her ready yet. She has the ability to captivate with a gripping story but her presentation lacks Sidney’s drama, urgency and climax. The novel is lovely but I couldn’t help feel a little let down.