To summarize this train wreck this novel consists of Hardin and Tessa arguing, then Hardin saying/doing something outrageous and mentaly abusive, Tessa thinking she is in love, Tessa cheating on her then-boyfriend, Hardin and Tessa kissing/having oral sex (everything under the sun short of penetration, because Tessa is a good-girl-virgin) them having a huge fight, some more manipulation, and REPEAT.
We start the book with a prologue about love, and pain, and shit, only to open into the first chapter where the MC, Tessa, is startled awake (CLICHE MUCH) by her mother who is anxiously awaiting their departure to WCU, the university Tessa will be attending. Tessa is pure, and conservative, and all things good, so imagine her surprise when she walks into her dorm room and is greeted by her new roommate, Steph. Steph is, basically in Tessa's opinion (Which was gathered in 2.5 seconds) a skank. She has piercings, and her hair is dyed an outrageous color, she was wearing something scandalous, and so on and so forth. This is when Hardin (Her damaged love interest) stumbles in along side some named character who has little to no importance other than getting drunk and hitting on Tessa. This all happens in chapter one, They all introduce one another, and the rest of After is found in the paragraph above.
Main problems: The biggest problem I had with After is that it glorified an abusive relationship. It's main purpose, the one lesson it portrays is that men are going to be assholes, and women will have to deal with it. Its the same old same old Dominant/Submissive bullshit that sets the Women Movement back a handful of years. I am being serious, though, half the stuff Hardin does say and doe has me shaking like:
Secondly, there is no substance. After is pure drama, all cliche, all hair-pull worthy, and all not worth anyone's time Let me get something straight, I have no issue with the fact that After was once fan-fiction, I have no issue with Anna Todd, other than the obvious, my issues all lie with in this novel. Maybe when this was posted online, for free, the fact that this was all recycled scenes and characters, could fly, but now Ms. Todd is making MOO-LAHH, some CHEESE, and I don't get the fascination.
Thirdly, Tessa is a Mary-Sue down to the T. She is oh-so smart, having read Pride & Prejudice, which is nothing really cool and exciting, I read that when I was fourteen, she has never had sex, never had gotten drunk, never had done anything her mother wouldn't be proud of. She is so plain, and boring, she is toast and butter. She is water. She is tasteless, and colorless, and thoughtless.
Hardin is a bad-boy, he has tattoos, he smokes, and drinks, and all that shit. He has slept with countless women (and also treats them like trash.) he has a 'Troubled past' and is, despite the facade, a broken toy Tessa needs to fix. BOOO-RRRIIINNNGGGG *Yawn*
There is so much hating in this novel, there is slut-shaming, and prude-shaming, and Homo-shaming (is that even a thing, Idek.) if you wear too little clothing, you are a slut, too much, you are a prude. Girl-on-girl hating, After would most definitely fail the bechdel test. Everything is about Hardin.
Imma need to conclude this soon, so, finally, rape and/sexual harassment this novel. particularly earlier on the novel there is this attempted date-rape scene set up for the sole purpose of Hardin to save Tessa, and when Tessa begins crying, claiming the entire ordeal her own fault, and Hardin's argument to that is that she isn't at fault (DUH) because she isn't "Used to these types of situations" (WHAT?!?!?!) Rape is something no one should ever get used to, nothing a girl brings onto herself because she had been in an environment as such before, rape is never the victims fault. Another scene is at Hardin't father's house where Hardin is heavily drunk, and is yelling obscene and abusive things at Tessa, and promptly after they have Oral Sex. While Hardin is Drunk. I don't even know what planet i'm living on. Obviously Ms.Todd doesn't know that having sex with someone who is legally drunk is rape, because someone intoxicated cannot give consent. Tessa raped Hardin, and I am supposed to find it arousing? how about a steaming pile of HELL-NO.
There is another scene that deals with penetration that Tessa does not give consent to, like, how are you going to apologies for not asking after everything is done?
These are the exact messages that I am talking about, young girls will read this, and this is what they will obtain. That A.) They must fix the bad boy, stand by his side, whether or not he is abusive because that is what a good woman does. B.) If you are raped, it is not your fault, unless you've been in an intoxicated atmosphere before. C.) You are trash unless you are a Virgin, but don't be too prude-y because then you are something to be laughed at. D.) it's okay to rape someone, as long as it's a guy, because guys can't be raped. E.) Girls are all awful unless they are you.
Idek. Idek. There are so many other issues that I cannot even begin to exploit. For one, there are no minorities, all of the characters are either white or tan. But that's the extent. I don't know why there's a movie deal, I don't know why there are so many glowing reviews over the Misogyny ruined novel. Everything is plain. There is no character development, no climax, no plot. Nothing significant. This reminds me of Beautiful Disaster.
Why God, Why?
