A tale of adultery that manages to withhold judgment as it traces the impact on all four people touched by an affair, Kylie Ladd's After the Fall is a fascinating glimpse into all sides of a story. Couples Kate and Cary and Luke and Cressida are good friends but when Kate and Luke cross the line with a very public kiss, things start to spiral out of control. And instead of backing off from each other, they are irresistibly drawn together in a full blown affair.

Told in short chapters alternating mainly from the four major characters' first person points of view, these psychological snapshots allow the reader deeply into the heads and hearts of each of the characters. Kate, Cary, Luke, and Cressida each start their narration in the aftermath of the affair and their anger, sorrow, guilt, and despair sound almost like notes made for a therapy session. From there, they work backwards, giving the background of their own marriages as well as of their connections to each other and the way that they reached the harmful and hurting place that each of them came to inhabit.

Certainly it would be easy to demonize Kate and Luke for devastating Cary and Cressida and having their affair but Ladd offers no such easy moralizing. Each of her characters is human, flawed and to be pitied. Although the novel opens after the end of the affair, there is still a palpable tension as Kate and Luke move towards each other and and the feeling of breath being held as Cary and Cressida stumble on the truth. The end is a realistic unraveling surprising for its truth. Ladd's training as a psychologist is clearly evident in her deep mining for motivation and explanation in each of her characters and she has drawn a taut, intense read. ( )

4 people - 2 couples who learn about falling in love and just plain falling. Betrayal is the name of the game as friends become lovers and enemies. The story is told in first person with each character giving their account and feelings on the matter. There is a sense of matter-of-fact, non-judgmental recounting in this in-depth glimpse into the mindset of adultery and its consequences. I found myself rooting for certain characters and enjoying the journey. The ending, though not what I had hoped, is realistic in its conclusion. ( )

This is a thought provoking exploration of an affair without judgement and almost brutal honesty. The author manages to suspend moral judgement without sacrificing empathy. It's not an easy subject to read about and may be too raw for someone who has had a similar experience but the honesty is refreshing.The author uses alternating first person of the adulterers, their partners and friends with distinct voices. Each of the characters are well developed and the transition between perspectives is skilfully handled. The characters are very 'normal', the adulterers aren't uncaring villians, their partners are not saints - while not exactly average (impossibly good looks, doctors etc) they could easily be someone you know.I was tempted to give After the Fall 5 stars - but even though the ending was as honest and real and as right as it could be, I wanted to see Kate and Luke punished - but in reality the truth is that it is the partners that usually suffer while the adulterers move on with their lives.Well worth the read - highly recommended. ( )

If you like soap operas, you'll probably enjoy this story of an affair told from the perspective of both the cheaters and the cheated on (with a couple of comments from their assorted friends). I enjoyed the rotating perspectives (interesting and made for a very quick read) but didn't enjoy the somewhat cliche storyline, although the ending wasn't at all what I expected. I'd recommend this book as an easy airplane/beach read, but if you want to read something with real substance, you'd do well to pass this one up. ( )

This is is the story of two couples Kate and Cary, and Luke and Cressida. They become friends and spend time together and go away on holiday together. But then the unexpected happens and Kate and Luke, the two more outgoing of the four begin an affair. The difference with this book is that is told from the point of view of each of the four characters. They all have the their chapters and we read the story of their meetings, and what lead up to the start of the affair, and of course the aftermath. I liked the way the book was written. I thought the author did a good job of getting inside the heads of each of the characters. Some were more likeable than others, but all were believable as people. Not a great book but a good read. It kept me interested and I think that had a lot to do with the way the book was structured with each characater being able to tell their story. ( )