After (Todd novel)

Last updated
After
After 2014 novel cover.jpg
Cover of the original 2014 release
Author Anna Todd
Audio read byElizabeth Louise
Country United States
LanguageEnglish
Series After
Genre Romance, contemporary
Publisher Gallery Books
Publication date
October 21, 2014
Media typePrint (paperback)
Ebook
Audiobook
Pages592
ISBN 978-1-4767-9248-4
Followed by After We Collided  

After is a 2014 young adult romance novel written by American author Anna Todd under her Wattpad name Imaginator1D and published by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. After is the first installment of the After novel series.

Contents

A film adaptation of the same name was released on April 12, 2019.

Background

After was originally released as a fanfiction on Wattpad. [1] Anna Todd's writing of the novel was inspired by the music and fandom of One Direction. She took inspiration from singer Harry Styles and based the fanfiction on him. [2]

Plot

Tessa Young, an incoming freshman at Washington State University, arrives at college with her mother, Carol, and boyfriend Noah. The conservative Carol is horrified by Tessa's alternative-styled roommate and her friend, upperclassman Steph Jones. When Carol fails to convince Tessa to switch dorms, Carol warns her daughter about the dangers of college parties before leaving with Noah. The next morning, Tessa returns to her room to find one of Steph's friends inside, an attractive, tattooed boy who makes several rude comments to Tessa. Steph tells Tessa about the boy, Hardin Scott, who is a rebellious figure on campus.

On the first day of college classes, Tessa befriends Landon Gibson, who is also an English major. Tessa learns from Landon that Hardin is his future step-brother since Landon's mom and Hardin's dad are engaged. After the first week of college, Tessa reluctantly accompanies Steph to the party and plays ‘Truth or Dare’ with Steph's friends, including Hardin, during which she admits she is a virgin. Hardin is dared to kiss Tessa, but she runs from the group, embarrassed. Hardin catches up to her and they share an intense moment that he takes as trivial. Carol disapproves of Tessa's activities and blames Hardin, so Tessa promises to ignore him. But Hardin falls for Tessa.

Hardin brings Tessa to a stream in the woods. When Tessa implies the two are now dating, Hardin says he doesn't date, leaving Tessa heartbroken. She subsequently ignores Hardin and invites Noah to stay the night with her. That night, Landon calls Tessa to help him control a drunken Hardin. After an argument with Hardin, they are intimate together again. The next morning, Tessa begs Noah for forgiveness for leaving him alone, and he says he'll think about it.

Tessa meets Ken Scott, Hardin’s father and the chancellor of the college, and he invites her to dinner at his home. During the course of the evening, Hardin argues with Ken and storms out to the backyard, where Tessa consoles him. Tessa stays the night and witnesses Hardin's intense nightmares. The next morning, Hardin takes Tessa back to her room, only for Noah to be waiting for them. A fight almost breaks out between the two men, but Tessa tells Noah to leave. Landon warns Tessa to be careful with Hardin.

Ken uses his connections to get Tessa an internship at Van's publishing, asking in exchange for Tessa to convince Hardin to come to his wedding with Karen. Hardin, initially pleased with the news of Tessa’s internship, become cold when he meets with his friends and abandons Tessa. Tessa later finds Hardin with Molly on his lap. Fuming, Tessa plays Truth or Dare with the group and kisses Zed to upset Hardin. Hardin, in turn, dares Molly to kiss him. When Tessa tries to run away, Hardin chases her and declares his love in front of everyone. Tessa rejects him and leaves. Hardin sullenly takes back his declaration, so Tessa goes on a date with Zed. They attend a party, and after Tessa returns to Zed’s apartment, they kiss. However, this makes Tessa realize how strong her feelings are for Hardin. She returns to Hardin, and they confess their love for each other. Hardin finally agrees to attend his father’s wedding.

They return to Tessa’s dorm and find a furious Carol waiting for them. Carol demands Tessa stop seeing Hardin and to go back to Noah or else be cut off.

Several of Hardin’s friends flirt with Tessa, leading to Hardin becoming angry. Tessa agrees to move in with him to a shared apartment, but he doesn’t come home on the second night together, upsetting Tessa. Carol finds out Tessa has been living with Hardin and slaps her before cutting her off.

On their way to Ken's wedding, Tessa spots Zed with terrible bruises he seemingly got from Hardin. Tessa confronts Hardin over his suspicious behavior, revealing their living situation to the group, leading him to finally admit the truth: after the game of Truth or Dare, Hardin and Zed bet on if he could take Tessa’s virginity, which Hardin proved by showing the group the bloody sheets. Hardin says that over the course of fulfilling the bet, he fell in love with Tessa, and begs for her forgiveness. She flees and runs into Zed. She asks for all the details of the bet and leaves with him, leaving Hardin behind.

Characters

Reception

The book was criticized for glamorization of an abusive relationship, [3] [4] [5] [6] poor character arcs and Todd's lack of style and prose. [7]

Kelly Faircloth of Jezebel said it was "sloppy fan fiction." She also compared its prose to that of Fifty Shades of Grey , writing, "If you complained about the prose of 50 Shades, After is going to send you in a conniption." [3] Sara Dobie Bauer of Sheknows complained that the story was unoriginal and the dialogue was stilted. Bauer also compared the book to the Fifty Shades series, writing, "After is being called the innocent version of Fifty Shades, which makes me grind my teeth to nubs because Fifty Shades was atrocious enough. If it weren't for the sex scenes in Fifty Shades, the book would have been nothing but the constant nagging of an insecure idiot." [8]

Adaptations

Film

A film adaptation starring Josephine Langford as Tessa Young and Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Hardin Scott was released on April 12, 2019, by Aviron Pictures. [9]

Graphic novel

In July 2021, it was announced that the novel series will be adapted into graphic novels by artist Pablo Andrés. [10] After: The Graphic Novel was released on May 3, 2022. [11]

Related Research Articles

Hayley Smith (<i>Home and Away</i>) Soap opera character

Hayley Rose Smith is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. She was portrayed from September 1998 to September 2005 by actress Rebecca Cartwright and from September to November 2005 by Ella Scott Lynch, after Cartwright left the show for personal reasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Levinson</span> Fictional character

Janet Levinson is a recurring fictional character from the US television series The Office, portrayed by Melora Hardin. She is the Vice President of Northeast Sales at the paper distribution company Dunder Mifflin, directly supervising central character and Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch, Michael Scott. Her character is notable for the dysfunctional relationship she enters with Michael following the second-season episode, "The Client", until the fourth-season episode "Dinner Party". Michael and Jan's personas contrast to much humor in the series, particularly in their professional attitudes and social interactions, although Jan's erratic and sexually-domineering state of mind leads to her firing. Her counterpart in the British version is corporate manager Jennifer Taylor-Clarke, who was played by Stirling Gallacher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fan fiction</span> Type of fiction created by fans of the original subject

Fan fiction or fanfiction is fictional writing written in an amateur capacity by fans, unauthorized by, but based on an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted characters, settings, or other intellectual properties from the original creator(s) as a basis for their writing. Fan fiction ranges from a couple of sentences to an entire novel, and fans can retain the creator's characters and settings, add their own, or both. It is a form of fan labor. Fan fiction can be based on any fictional subject. Common bases for fan fiction include novels, movies, comics, television shows, musical groups, cartoons, anime, manga, and video games.

Wattpad is a website for reading and publishing original written fiction and connecting with fellow writers and readers. Its most popular genres are romance, teen fiction, and fan fiction. As of November 2021, Wattpad has more than 90 million monthly users and there are over 665 million story uploads in total.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J.M. Frey</span> Canadian science fiction and fantasy author

Jessica Marie FreyFRY is a Canadian science fiction and fantasy author. While she is best known for her debut novel Triptych, Frey's work encompasses poetry, academic and magazine articles, screenplays, and short stories. Frey calls herself a "professional geek".

<i>Beautiful Bastard</i>

Beautiful Bastard is a 2013 erotic romance novel by Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings under the singular pen name of Christina Lauren. The book was originally published online as a Twilight fan fiction entitled The Office, with Simon & Schuster purchasing the publishing rights to the series.

<i>Carol</i> (film) 2015 film by Todd Haynes

Carol is a 2015 historical romance film directed by Todd Haynes. The screenplay by Phyllis Nagy is based on the 1952 romance novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith. The film stars Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy, and Kyle Chandler. Set in New York City during the early 1950s, Carol tells the story of a forbidden affair between an aspiring female photographer and an older woman going through a difficult divorce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Todd</span> American author (born 1989)

Anna Renee Todd is an American author, film producer, and screenwriter. She is best known for writing the book series After, which she started publishing on the social storytelling platform Wattpad. The print edition of the series was published by Gallery Books, and has been translated into several languages.

<i>Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian</i> Novel by E. L. James

Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey As Told by Christian, also referred to as Grey, is a 2015 erotic romance by British author E. L. James. It is the fourth installment in the Fifty Shades series, which had its start as fanfiction.

<i>To All the Boys Ive Loved Before</i> (film) 2018 film directed by Susan Johnson

To All the Boys I've Loved Before is a 2018 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Susan Johnson and written by Sofia Alvarez. The film stars Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, Madeleine Arthur, Emilija Baranac, Israel Broussard and John Corbett. The movie is based on Jenny Han's 2014 novel of the same name, and was released by Netflix on August 17, 2018. It received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised the cast.

<i>The Kissing Booth</i> 2018 American teen romantic comedy film

The Kissing Booth is a 2018 American teen romantic comedy film written and directed by Vince Marcello, based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Beth Reekles. It stars Joey King, Jacob Elordi, and Joel Courtney. The film follows Elle (King), a quirky, late blooming teenager whose budding romance with high school senior and bad boy Noah (Elordi) puts her lifelong friendship with Noah's younger brother Lee (Courtney) in jeopardy.

<i>After</i> (2019 film) 2019 American film

After is a 2019 American romantic drama film directed by Jenny Gage, who co-wrote the screenplay with Susan McMartin, Tamara Chestna, and Tom Betterton, based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Anna Todd. It is the first installment in the After film series. The film stars Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Josephine Langford and follows a young woman who begins to romance a mysterious student during her first months of college. The cast includes Selma Blair, Inanna Sarkis, Shane Paul McGhie, Pia Mia, Khadijha Red Thunder, Dylan Arnold, Samuel Larsen, Jennifer Beals and Peter Gallagher in supporting roles.

<i>After We Collided</i> 2020 film directed by Roger Kumble

After We Collided is a 2020 American romantic drama film directed by Roger Kumble from a screenplay by Anna Todd and Mario Celaya, based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Todd. It is the sequel to After (2019) and the second installment in the After film series. The film stars Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin reprising their roles as Tessa Young and Hardin Scott, respectively, with Dylan Sprouse, Shane Paul McGhie, Candice King, Khadijha Red Thunder, Inanna Sarkis, Samuel Larsen, and Selma Blair in supporting roles.

<i>After</i> (film series) Film series article

The After film series consists of American romantic dramas based on the Anna Todd authored After novels. The plot centers around the positive and negative experiences of a romantic relationship between a young couple named Tessa and Hardin. Over the events of their courtship, the pair overcome their various differences, all while strengthening the plans of building a future together.

<i>After We Fell</i> 2021 American film

After We Fell is a 2021 American romantic drama film directed by Castille Landon from a screenplay by Sharon Soboil, based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Anna Todd. It is the sequel to After We Collided (2020) and the third installment in the After film series. The film stars Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin reprising their roles as Tessa Young and Hardin Scott, respectively. The plot follows Tessa's preparations for a job in Seattle, the arrival of Tessa's father, and revelations about Hardin's family, all of which threaten the couple's relationship. Louise Lombard, Rob Estes, Arielle Kebbel, Chance Perdomo in his feature film debut, Frances Turner, Kiana Madeira, Carter Jenkins and Mira Sorvino appear in supporting roles.

<i>After We Collided</i> (novel) Novel by Anna Todd

After We Collided is a 2014 young adult American romance novel written by Anna Todd under her Wattpad name Imaginator1D and published by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. After We Collided is the second installment of the After novel series.

<i>After Ever Happy</i> 2022 film by Castille Landon

After Ever Happy is a 2022 American romantic drama film directed by Castille Landon from a screenplay by Sharon Soboil, based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Anna Todd. It is the sequel to After We Fell (2021) and the fourth installment in the After film series. The film stars Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin reprising their roles as Tessa Young and Hardin Scott, respectively.

<i>My Life with the Walter Boys</i> 2023 American television series

My Life with the Walter Boys is an American teen drama television series that premiered on Netflix on December 7, 2023. The coming-of-age drama is an adaptation of Ali Novak's 2014 novel of the same name, which was first published on Wattpad. The series follows recently-orphaned Jackie Howard, a teenage girl from Manhattan who relocates to rural Colorado after she is taken in by the Walters, a family of seven sons and one daughter. The series was developed by Melanie Halsall. It stars Nikki Rodriguez, Noah LaLonde, Ashby Gentry and Alisha Newton. In December 2023, the series was renewed for a second season.

<i>After Everything</i> (2023 film) 2023 film by Castille Landon

After Everything is a 2023 American romantic drama film written and directed by Castille Landon, based on the characters from the After series of novels by Anna Todd. The direct sequel to After Ever Happy (2022) and the fifth installment the After film series, it stars Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin reprising their roles as Tessa Young and Hardin Scott, respectively.

<i>My Fault</i> (film) 2023 film directed by Domingo González

My Fault is a 2023 Spanish romantic drama film directed by Domingo González in his directorial feature length debut and starring Nicole Wallace and Gabriel Guevara. It is based on the Wattpad story of the same name by Mercedes Ron.

References

  1. ↑ "After". Wattpad . Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  2. ↑ Pham, Jason (April 12, 2019). "How Anna Todd's Harry Styles Fanfiction Became a Bestselling Book—& Now a Movie". StyleCaster. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Book Is Supposedly New 50 Shades, But Is Really Just Sloppy Fanfic". Jezebel . April 18, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  4. ↑ "The One Direction Fan-Fiction Novel That Became a Literary Sensation". The Atlantic . December 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  5. ↑ Temby, Natalie (October 2, 2018). ""After" Is Abuse". The Prospector. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Popular Book Series and Film, "After", Glorifies Unhealthy Relationship Dynamics". Where's the Line?. May 2, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  7. ↑ Bates, Margret (December 27, 2018). "After — The Worst Thing to Happen to Books since Fifty Shades of Grey". Medium. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  8. ↑ "We admit: Anna Todd's After is pretty bad — here's why". SheKnows. 24 October 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  9. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (July 23, 2018). "'After' Movie Based On Anna Todd's YA Books Seals Aviron Pictures Deal, Gets 2019 Release Date". Deadline. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  10. ↑ Rearick, Lauren (July 28, 2021). ""After" Book Series Will Soon Become Graphic Novels". Teen Vogue. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  11. ↑ "AFTER: The Graphic Novel". Anna Todd. January 4, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.