A book that grips the reader from the very beginning - what is the terrible thing that Alice sees at Waverley Station? As the story unspools, cleverly told in short sections which move across different times, one begins to guess. It's rather like completing a jigsaw when you don't have a copy of the picture to guide you. It's a structure perfectly suited to the story and it's beautifully written with a very satisfying ending.

Alice, her mother and her grandmother are lively characters, most of the others are two dimensional but not without some interest. The relationships and the settings are credible. For a first novel I think it's very impressive. But at the end I did worry about who was feeding Lucifer the cat and the axolotl.

Well that was an emotional read. It tore my heart out, fixed it and then tore it out again. I didn’t realise this was Maggie’s first release when I requested it and it’s really blown me away how amazing her work started and continued. This is a special book about grief and love.

Noone writes like Maggie O'Farrell, what a pleasure it was to re-read this stunning debut novel again.
She will break your heart and mend it again only to smash it to pieces once more before you turn the last page. Secrets will tear you apart as love will, if it was good enough for Joy Division it is good enough for Maggie. A stunning debut.

O’Farrell’s debut novel is just as readable and as well-written as every other book of hers I’ve read. Often it can be easy to spot a debut after reading more of an author’s work - they’ve not quite found their voice yet and are still finding their feet, but I didn’t feel any of this with O’Farrell’s novel.
Well fleshed out characters and a gripping storyline kept me reading this until 2am, and I’ve been recommending this to friends since I finished it.
4.5 stars.

The book that started it all. and proof that Maggie O'Farrell has always had a way with words. Loved it

A fantastic read, very surprised to see it was one of Maggie O'Farrell's first books. A really tense love story from the very beginning. I definitely recommend

Crystal bright prose where the journey is the destination
—
Every novel is an attempt to keep the reader reading, an attempt to throw the rules of writing, words and novels into the air and using them as the writer sees fit to tell a story, or explore a life, a moment, an action. What O’Farrell does in this is to take a family, throw in a mystery; ask of the generations of the family what matters to them, what they love, what they fear; and drip feed it all to the reader in crystal bright prose that still shines twenty five years since its first publication. Alice is about to do something drastic in response to a mysterious event, and when she does take action, we are immediately thrust into a narrative consisting of Alice’s life and memories; snatches of conversation; the things she knows and things she doesn’t know about her mother and grandmother; family stories and moments.

The constantly shifting perspectives of this novel might put off a reader more used to a linear narrative, but this is a superlative novel that shows how good a writer O’Farrell is and was since this debut novel. The secret is kept to the end, which perhaps is unnecessary as in this novel the journey is the destination, and what a journey we are led upon.

Four and a half stars

This is a really interesting story and I loved the format that moved between decades and character perspectives without delineation, it really immersed me in the story. Recommended and thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

What an honour to re read this wonderful book. I adore Maggie and read all her work. Thank you for the treat!

A classic Maggie O Farrell and her first novel now re published. This novel showcases her extraordinary talent from the first page. The novel weaves grief, memory, and love into a powerful. . O’Farrell’s prose is lyrical yet grounded, capturing raw emotion with stunning clarity. The non-linear structure adds depth, echoing the fragmented nature of trauma and healing. Alice’s journey is heartbreaking and deeply human, making her a protagonist you won’t forget. The exploration of family, especially the bond between sisters, is beautifully captured. A five star read from a go-to author.

This was so beautifully written, I'm glad I was able to discover it. It took me a while to get into it, if I'm honest. There are shifting timelines and narrators that can make your head swim. It takes some time to start putting puzzle pieces together. But this ended up being a gorgeous, tragic story of love and loss at different stages of life and the ways things can slip through your fingers.

I found this novel hard to get into (a first for a work of O'Farrell's). The story moves between timelines every few pagesis and is mainly the story of three women - Elspeth, her daughter Ann, and her daughter Alice.
After You'd Gone follows Alice's mental journey through her own past, after a traffic accident has left her in a coma. A love story that is also a story of absence, and of how our choices can reverberate through the generations, I enjoyed the writing and the premise, but it disappeared from my brain immediately on finishing and left no lasting impression.

"𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆?"

After You'd Gone is Maggie O'Farrell's debut novel published in 2000 and while Hamnet broke my heart into a million pieces, this book destroyed me.

It is beautifully written and deeply moving. It centres around Alice as she lies in a coma after an accident and looks back at her life with her loved ones. We get snapshots of her life that aren't in any particular order. These non-linear time jumps and shifts in perspectives felt like a puzzle and I was meant to piece the story together myself.

Maggie O'Farrell's description of Alice's grief is heartbreaking and her depiction of people at their flawed best (or not so best) is perfection. After You'd Gone is an exploration of complicated family dynamics that arise out of a secret, love and grief and a testament to O'Farrell's rich storytelling. This book packed a punch for me. It is heavy on grief and I recommend it if you are looking for an emotional read.

I was happy to receive the 25th Anniversary edition of the book via Netgalley and I thank @headlinebooks for an opportunity to read and review.

After being blown away by Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait, I was eager to explore Maggie O’Farrell’s earlier work—and After You’d Gone did not disappoint. What a debut!

O’Farrell’s signature emotional depth is already present in this compelling, heartbreaking novel. The story follows Alice, grappling with grief and memory, and unfolds through a non-linear structure that shifts seamlessly between points of view and time periods—often without warning. Rather than confusing, this style draws the reader in deeper, reflecting the fragmented, layered nature of trauma and love.

It’s an intimate exploration of loss, resilience, and the invisible threads that bind us to others. O’Farrell’s insight in humanity and lyrical prose were already so powerful, even in this first novel. Highly recommended for anyone who loves character-driven fiction that lingers long after the last page.

This book gave me goosebumps. It was beautifully written, and sad, and made me think about the quality of my own relationships. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

After You’d Gone by Maggie O’Farrell is an exquisitely written and emotionally powerful novel that has lingered with me long after I turned the final page. I was completely immersed in the story of Alice and the intricate web of love, grief, and memory that surrounds her and her family. At times, the emotional intensity was so overwhelming it left me stunned.

What I found particularly compelling was the novel’s structure - it unfolds like a mystery, gradually revealing pieces of Alice’s life and the events that led her to the brink. This slow, suspenseful layering made the emotional impact even more profound, drawing me in deeper with every chapter.

It’s by no means an easy read, but it’s one that I found deeply rewarding. O’Farrell’s prose is both lyrical and raw, and the story is one I won’t forget anytime soon.

I love a book that is all heart and makes you feel. I love Maggie's work and this one proves why.

You don't get a complete picture right away of what's happening which works brilliantly to reel the reader in. I love how the pain of the character is brought out. You feel the grief and her inner turmoil.

The book has themes of love, grief, loss and family. Absolutely recommend this book that makes you feel. Also a mention to the way the locations are brought out by the author!

Thank you Headline and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

Once I'd got to grips with the various characters, the shifts in point of views and time lines, I found this to be an absorbing narrative full of emotion. Why somebody makes a particular decision is the engine of the novel and it propels the reader through to the end of this well-crafted and beautifully written book.
A joy to read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

I was a late arrival to the Maggie O'Farrell party - the first book I read by her was Instructions for a Heatwave. And I have devoured everything since, but it has taken me a while to work through her backlist. So it was great to finally read her debut novel - After You'd Gone.
The structure threw me off to begin with - with no break even in chapters to lurch from one character or time setting to another. But in time it seemed to me that this was reflective of the potentially chaotic state that Alice's (the main character) brain was in following a traffic accident that has left her in a coma.
Alice is the middle of 3 daughters to Ben and Ann - and granddaughter to Elspeth. Elspeth and Ann are the main sub characters in the story - which is both a multi generational tale of women, their relationships and family, and also a love story between Alice and John. It is clear early on that John is no longer around - but we don't know why. But piece by piece the backstory is built, and piece by piece we discover all the things that have shattered Alices's life and heart.

I think it is great that the publisher is putting a real focus on this authors backlist and really encouraging her later fans to discover her early work. I think I only have one or two more to read!

Beautiful written with interesting snd engaging characters. I found the timeline tricky to follow at the start but soon got into O’Farrell’s rhythm. A worthwhile read.