The Road to After

By: Rebekah Lowell

Narrated by: Elena Rey

This poignant debut novel in verse is a portrait of healing, as a young girl rediscovers life and the soothing power of nature after being freed from her abusive father.

For most of her life, Lacey has been a prisoner without even realizing it. Her dad rarely let her, her little sister, or her mama out of his sight. But their situation changes suddenly and dramatically the day her grandparents arrive to help them leave. It’s the beginning of a different kind of life for Lacey, and at first she has a hard time letting go of her dad’s rules. Gradually though, his hold on her lessens, and her days become filled with choices she’s never had before. Now Lacey can take pleasure in sketching the world as she sees it in her nature journal. And as she spends more time outside making things grow and creating good memories with family and friends, she feels her world opening up and blossoming into something new and exciting.

©2022 Rebekah Lowell (P)2022 Listening Library

Critic reviews

“Fleeing domestic abuse, a girl and her family begin a hard but hopeful journey to healing. . . . Reading about Rachel Carson, Lacey finds life lessons in the natural world: observing how a sunflower grows from a seed and how a winding creek finds its own way. Lowell, who in an author’s note describes herself as a domestic-abuse survivor, focuses here on healing; the abuse is portrayed retrospectively—fitting, given her audience. Like her gentle illustrations, the verse format suits her story, a mosaic of small epiphanies that cumulatively chart a path from darkness into light. . . . A moving, age-appropriate, and convincing portrayal of family resilience after trauma.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Debut author Lowell positively depicts how trained professionals can help families regain control of their lives, and she draws upon her own experiences living in a household of abuse. Though Lacey’s struggles are emotional, her journey toward independence is filled with hope.” —Booklist

“[Lacey’s] journey is paralleled with the image of a growing flower and is divided into three parts: sprouting, reaching for sunlight, and blooming. Written in verse, Lacey’s journey reflects her growth, regret, and her conflicted feelings surrounding her dad while trying to understand the abuse that she and her family endured because of him. The novel is full of hope and relays a clear understanding of what it might feel like to be a young girl escaping an abusive situation—attempting to understand it and move on, while at the same time missing a parent despite the trauma he put his family through. Using nature as the framing device, the text allows the reader to see Lacey’s world opening up as she makes new friends, joins a homeschooling co-op, and learns that there is more hope and freedom in the world than she could have ever imagined.” —School Library Connection

Capturing all the various emotions of the situation!

The narrator did a fantastic job of portraying the different emotions. It was obvious the author had experienced many of these situations and emotions. What a heartfelt and moving story!

Great

I checked out this novel from my work library- mainly because it’s a novel in verse but then fell in love with the storyline. It’s a great read as well as an awesome narrated story!

Hit home

Even though I was not in an abusive relationship to this extent this book hit home for me. After finding the strength to get out a narcissistic relationship I was a shell of myself. This book let me know that I am not alone and that healing takes time. It also gave me the hope that one day I will be able to put this behind me and look for the light just like a sunflower.

Beautiful

This was beautifully written Rebekah. It brings back stinging memories of my own story and makes me grateful for the journey and happy to be on the other side. I’m happy for you and appreciate you sharing a snippet of your journey!