After

Blurb

After is a young adult novel written by Francine Prose. After a school shooting 50 miles away, the new grief and crisis counselor attempts to control the students' lives, using the recent tragedy as an excuse. The school gradually is controlled by the grip of the administration, and students who do not comply with the new rules disappear, never to be seen again. Its plot is reminiscent of Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. This novel was first published in 2003, and the nearby school shooting is reminiscent of the Columbine High School massacre in 1999.
Described in the New York Times Book Review as a "rich parable", this novel has as a theme the threat to freedom posed by an excessive concern for security.