Book Review: After The Falls by Catherine Gildiner
Genre: Non-fiction, memoir
Fans of Catherine Gildiner’s childhood memoir Too Close To The Falls (1999) will be delighted with her coming of age memoir After The Falls (2009). Gildiner transports us into the life and consciousness of herself as a young woman, battling the awkwardness of youth as she emerges into a capable young woman.
Cathy McClure (Gildiner) begins After The Falls where Too Close To The Falls leaves off, with thirteen year old Cathy being uprooted from Lewiston to make a fresh start in Buffalo after her expulsion from Catholic school. Her trials as a young teen are told with humour and heartache. Cathy’s sheer will to fit in makes her the star of her school in terms of popularity. Despite her ability to be a social chameleon, she is plagued by the feeling that she is somehow different from everyone else.
Entering college as an open minded outsider, forces Cathy to realize that there are some values she will not compromise in order to blend in; she does not take part in the sorority scene. She also meets her first love during this exciting time. Finding out he is married is a crushing blow that serves to cast off her childlike naivety and catapult her into womanhood.
Cathy’s uniqueness is part of her charm and a source of strength. It keeps her moving forward in her life, while providing stability for her family when her father is diagnosed with a brain tumor. Gildiner paints a bittersweet picture of her relationship with her father in his last years, and proves herself to be exactly the kind of girl her father would be proud of.
After The Falls is described as a coming of age memoir of a young woman in the sixties. From cultural references to Gildiner’s involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, the reader is transported to a time of sweeping changes in America as seen through the eyes of a young woman as she searches to find out where she fits into the scheme of things. After The Falls is filled with teen angst, self-consciousness, pride, first loves and undeniable devotion. Gildiner does a fine job of telling this remarkable, true story.
Writers Take Note:
Gildiner focuses on the tenderness of her relationships; despite her difficulties with her father in his deteriorating condition, she keeps returning to earlier memories of camaraderie between her father and herself. This gives the readers a true sense of the depth of their bond. These flashbacks serve to connect Too Close To The Falls and After The Falls, linking the narrative and providing insight into their father-daughter relationship.
Though Gildiner uses flashbacks, the majority of the story is told in chronological order, ensuring that the reader can easily follow the narrative thread of Gildiner’s life.
Author Info:
Catherine Gildiner is the author of three books; her best-selling childhood memoir, Too close To The Falls (1999); her follow up memoir After The Falls (2009) and a novel titled Seduction. If you would like to learn more about Catherine Gildiner please visit http://www.gildiner.com/
After The Falls is currently available in Canada, and is set to be released in the United States as of November 1, 2010 by Viking.
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