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Francis Chalifour, After book cover
2006: Francis Chalifour, After

2006: Francis Chalifour, After

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Description

Fifteen-year-old Francis’s father has committed suicide and nothing will be the same again. Suicide is ugly, unglamorous, and it is never a solution. Its aftermath is dreadful.

At first, Francis feels a terrible guilt. Could he have been a better son? What if he hadn’t left his home in Montreal to go on a brief holiday in New York the weekend it happened? Soon the guilt turns to anger and then to a sadness so profound that he thinks he can’t bear it.

After is the map of a year following the suicide of a family member. In the course of months, with the love of his mother, with counseling, and with the balm of time, Francis takes his first steps toward coming to terms with his father’s – and his family’s – tragedy. After is intensely personal, but it will resonate with anyone who has faced the loss of a loved one.

Judges' Comments

“After is deeply moving,” said Judith Miller, an award judge and associate professor of English language and literature at Renison College at the University of Waterloo. “Chalifour finds an interesting way to talk about his experiences. We enjoyed the lyricism of his language and his strong sense of character.”

Learn More

Explore the works of our previous Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction winners.

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