After Isabella by Rosie Fiore

After Isabella by Rosie Fiore
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

When Esther's childhood best friend Isabella dies of cancer, she is devastated. Years later, she is brought together with Isabella's sister Sally, who cared for Isabella in her last days, and who subsequently nursed their mother through years of dementia.

English professor Esther sees shy, innocent Sally emerge from a life of isolation and loneliness. But as Esther herself suffers blow after blow, and sees her carefully ordered life collapse around her, she is forced to contemplate the notion of friendship and trust. Do the ones we hold dearest always have our best interests at heart?


This was a bit depressing for me - when Esthers' childhood friend Isabella dies of cancer she is broken. Years later she meets Isabella's sister Sally who cared for Isabella before she died and also her mother as she battled dementia.

Its' really about how these characters coped after these events that the book is all about but although well written and thought out it was just a bit depressing for me. I think it was a difficult read and you really need to persevere with it to get to the end and it wasn't helped that the character of Esther was a bit dull and boring.

Its' not easy writing a novel about death and its' even more difficult to read about it - not a novel I would choose to read and not one I particularly enjoyed therefore I can only give this one a 2 star rating.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.