I must confess that I initially ignored the hype surrounding After the Fire.  It is listed as a contemporary YA novel, a genre I don’t tend to enjoy, and I knew nothing about it but the hype.  When I spotted it at YALC this year and actually bothered to read the back, I realised that After the Fire is the exact kind of book I love!  It’s a book that, like The Book Thief, truly transcends age ranges and is suitable for readers of all ages, particularly adults.