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After December Kindle Edition

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 80 ratings

Tony is dead. He killed himself Monday night. Three thousand miles away. Brian Listo is going home.

Five days. Four best friends who don’t forgive him. Three women who can’t stand him. Two parents who don’t trust him. One unforgivable sin he can’t hide from anymore. Brian is back in Virginia despite the craters he left at New Year’s. Back to eat crow. To beg forgiveness. To explain himself to anyone who will listen. Except for the one person who can no longer hear him.

Growing up, Tony always covered for Brian, made even his most heinous sins seem like minor infractions. But without Tony to play defense, Brian must learn to apologize. It’s time to come clean. Can he earn forgiveness? Does he deserve it? Or does he just need a clean break?

A true depiction of young Generation X'ers coming of age, this raw story of life after loss, picking up the pieces after death by suicide, and coming to terms as a young adult will move you.

Ms. Whitener's novel reaches deep inside the psyche of a generation struggling to find itself in transition, unearthing what the staunchest fans of Hemingway recognize immediately as one true thing. And there’ll be plenty more where that came from.
-- J. R. DeLorenzo

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"After December is a richly satisfying immersion into the passions and tensions of a world-weary group of friends and lovers reunited in acts of mourning, resentment, and forgiveness. Kasie Whitener's impressive novel questions just how far the bonds of platonic and romantic love can be stretched before breaking beyond any hope of mending. The answer is both redemptive and well worth discovering."
--Jonathan Haupt, coeditor of
Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy and executive director of the Pat Conroy Literary Center

"...readers will be engrossed by Whitener's skillful characterization. An often engaging, if slightly uneven, novel about the serpentine nature of friendships." --
Kirkus Reviews

"Atouching, interesting and human exploration in grief and forgiveness, and the many layers of friendship." -- NetGalley 5 Star Review

"This part of the summary immediately caught my eye, and it's why I wanted to read this book. 'Tony is dead. He killed himself Monday night. Three thousand miles away. Brian Listo is going home.' Suicide is such a .. raw, heartbreaking subject. But it is SO important that it be portrayed and written about accurately and appropriately. This author did just that. This book was beautiful and touching. Check it out." -- NetGalley 4 Star Review

About the Author

Dr. Kasie Whitener is a member of the South Carolina Council on Humanities Speaker's Bureau and a lecturer on entrepreneurship at the University of South Carolina. She hosts Write On SC, a radio program and podcast dedicated to showcasing South Carolina authors. Her first novel, After December, was be published by Chrysalis Press in December 2019 and was a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Awards in July 2020. Dr. Whitener has published short fiction in literary journals like The Petigru ReviewSpry, and Kairos, and won the Carrie McCray Award for Short Fiction in 2016 with "Cover Up." 

Her literary conference credentials include Winter Wheat Literary Festival at Bowling Green State University in 2017, the Pat Conroy Literary Center's 2018 Lowcountry Book Club Convention, and the Fairfax County Library's Book Club Conference in October 2019. Dr. Whitener has delivered workshops for the South Carolina Writers Association, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and Fairfax County Public Library.
 
As managing partner of Clemson Road Creative, Dr. Whitener has directed projects in software implementation, change management, and process discovery and design. She is a board member for the South Carolina Writers Association and co-founded the Women's Business Center of South Carolina. Dr. Whitener is a passionate entrepreneur, a swimmer, runner, golfer, wife to tire-man Charlie and mom to the unsinkable Hollie.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07Z6PK3CM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chrysalis Press (December 1, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 1, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2331 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 326 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 80 ratings

About the author

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Kasie Whitener
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Dr. Kasie Whitener’s first novel, After December (2019), was a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Awards and has been called “a breakthrough debut” and “outstanding fiction.” Her second novel, Before Pittsburgh (2021), won Honorable Mention at the New York Book Festival and the Hollywood Book Festival. She was honored by South Carolina Humanities in 2021 with the Governor’s Award Fresh Voices in the Humanities for her work as host of the weekly radio show Write On SC and as board member to the South Carolina Writers Association. Dr. Whitener is a business owner and instructor at the University of South Carolina. She is a 1995 graduate of Herndon High School and has presented for Bowling Green State University's Winter Wheat Literary Festival, the Pat Conroy Literary Center, and the Fairfax County Public Library.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
80 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the characters well-written and relatable. They describe the book as an enjoyable read with realistic dialogue. The story is described as vivid, thought-provoking, and outstanding.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

8 customers mention "Writing style"8 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the writing style. They find the characters well-written, diverse, and relatable. The dialogue is realistic and insightful, making the characters seem real. Readers appreciate the author's skill in writing male protagonists in first-person.

"...There's no room for indifference toward these characters as they come to life in very insightful ways experiencing tested friendship, love, and..." Read more

"A fast moving coming of age novel with well-developed characters using crisp and realistic dialogue...." Read more

"...One of those love him or hate him kinda guys. It made him relatable...." Read more

"..." perspective was interesting to me and I appreciate that it came from a female writer." Read more

6 customers mention "Readability"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it an enjoyable read and well worth the effort.

"...but its depiction of Generation X in young adulthood is well worth the effort." Read more

"...Thoroughly enjoyable!" Read more

"I just finished After December...It was a delicious read from cover to cover!..." Read more

"One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. The characters are well written and diverse. Congratulations to the author!" Read more

6 customers mention "Story quality"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the story vivid and thought-provoking. They appreciate the author's writing style and rich descriptions that keep the reader hooked. The book is described as outstanding fiction that explores themes of loss and redemption.

"...It gets the reader's attention and doesn't let go." Read more

"...The author, a Gen-Xer, recounts the angst and uncertainty, the love and loss accompanying that in-between place, the one between fun and friendship..." Read more

"...You'll feel the punches and the pain as you read this thought-provoking book. You won't want to put it down." Read more

"...I liked the author's writing style and rich descriptions. Could also see some elements of the Friends generation, coming of age...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2020
    Lawrence Kasdan vividly captured the angst of the Baby Boomers' confrontation with mortality and frustrated hopes in The Big Chill. Now Gen Xers have their own voice, speaking through Kasie Whitener's debut novel, After December.
    Set in the Washington, D.C. exurbs, After December tells the tale of a group of friends whose accumulated hostilities and distrust float to the surface when one of their number commits suicide. Brian Listo, the protagonist, has fled to the alien landscape of San Francisco. Yet a change of scenery hasn't motivated him to set a clear course for the years ahead. Returning home, he leaves his live-in girlfriend for Kacie, a former flame, but he can't even be faithful to her. Memories of his dead friend Tony rise from unquiet slumber. Constantly on edge, "The Crew" take refuge in alcohol and drugs, which bring only temporary relief.
    After December us sometimes unsettling, but its depiction of Generation X in young adulthood is well worth the effort.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2019
    After December has a level of reality and intensity not often found in stories. There's no room for indifference toward these characters as they come to life in very insightful ways experiencing tested friendship, love, and working their way through tragedy. It gets the reader's attention and doesn't let go.
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2020
    A fast moving coming of age novel with well-developed characters using crisp and realistic dialogue. The descriptions of clothing, even socks, and places are so visual that the reader can see them. The author, a Gen-Xer, recounts the angst and uncertainty, the love and loss accompanying that in-between place, the one between fun and friendship and “we thought they’d never end” days to reality. Change is hard. Endings are hard, too. And sometimes endings are necessary for new beginnings to take place.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2024
    I normally do not write a review, but in this case, I had to. This book should focus on what I thought was the death of a friend due to mental illness. Instead, this book glamorized drug use and sex. It put an unnecessary blame on parents of children that come from suburban areas where them working hard to give their children a life is what causes the drug use... is what causes the sex. Instead of saying,"Hey, I should have joined a club or I should have done something more for myself." It takes the blame off of kids and puts it directly on the parent. It's not because the parent is a bad parent, it's because I know the parents is simply working to provide for their family. I would have liked to have seen more of the mental illness aspect of this story. I would have liked to have seen more of how these friends got each other out of the hard times that they were in or actually spoke to their parents. Instead, it was all about sex and drugs and the laughter over it. This is no laughing matter as someone who has lost someone extremely near and dear to my heart. This book frustrated me in ways you can never imagine.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2021
    I was sucked in after only reading a few pages. I could not put it down. Kasie’s attention to the little details made me feel like I was part of the story. Sitting at that stop light, hanging out with the crew at the bar. We all know a person like the main character, Brian Listo. One of those love him or hate him kinda guys. It made him relatable. After December took me on a wild ride of emotions, and I cannot recommend this book enough.
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2023
    This novel grabs you by the collar and pulls you into the bar fight and the smoke-infused, muddled thoughts of Brian as he deals with a tragic death and saying goodbye to his adolescence. They are that tight group of friends from high school, except now they are in college and not so close. In fact, they are all in the middle of a cold war and the death was a resulting casualty.

    You'll feel the punches and the pain as you read this thought-provoking book. You won't want to put it down.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2021
    I enjoyed this book because of the things I could relate to, based on the time it took place. Hearing a "guy's" perspective was interesting to me and I appreciate that it came from a female writer.
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2020
    Nicely developed characters dealing with the challenges we all experience as we age. It's easy to see a little bit of ourselves and our friends in each character. I liked the author's writing style and rich descriptions. Could also see some elements of the Friends generation, coming of age.
    Thoroughly enjoyable!

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