BOOK REVIEW: "After the Dance" by Lori Johnson

Author Lori Johnson's debut novel "After the Dance" is a love story. It's a fun read and if the title reminds you of a song, then you know good music. Johnson confesses that she is a lover of all things music (especially old school music) and weaves lots of music and music titles throughout the book. The reference to "After the Dance" is related to a tune by the legendary Marvin Gaye.

But there is, indeed, alot of dancing in the book. The two main characters, Carl and Faye, dance around many issues and situations and they get their groove on too - in more ways than one.

There is also a focus on friends and family, especially the extended family. It's a good mix for the reader to see how Johnson includes a cousin, an uncle, an ex-wife, a best friend and a flurry of others into the plot of the story.

Couple that w/topics such as body image, infidelity, adoption, friendship, love and deceit and you'll be done flipping the pages in a day or two.

My reading group selected "After the Dance" to read because some of my reading group members used to be in a writing group w/Johnson. The book was a pleasure to read - and an easy read at that - it had a good flow to it. I kinda figured out how the book would end, but how it would get to that ending was quite interesting.

If you want a nice and easy read, "After the Dance" is a good one. Pick up a copy, share it w/a friend, enjoy the read. You can read an excerpt here.

Reviews:

• Urban Reviews
• RAWSISTAZ Literary Group
• Publishers Weekly (scroll to the fiction section)