The Cure have been around for over 30 years now, and it is a little disheartening that the only major biography of them, Never Enough by Jeff Apted, is out of print. Sure, there is a Kindle version of it, and you can buy a 
used copy for big bucks, but it sure seems like there should be something more readily available for fans of this great band. The books one finds when browsing are usually fan books. I do not think author David Fargier would disagree with me in describing his After The Rain as a fan book, because he himself states as much in the Preface.
By the way, there is nothing inherently wrong with a book written from a fan’s perspective at all. It’s just that these types of books generally contain little, if any criticism of the group, which I sometimes miss. Having said that, however, I quite enjoyed After The Rain. The history of this book is unusual. It was first published in Fargier’s native French language as Nach dem Regen in 2006. This edition has been translated into English by Stephen Martin, and is published by Cleopatra. The 138-page hardback book also comes with a very cool extra, a seven-inch single featuring a remix of “Burn,” the theme from The Crow (1994).
As mentioned, Fargier is a long-time Cure fan, and as such has his own opinions about their recordings over the years. Contrary to what I previously mentioned about fan books not questioning any artistic decisions of the group in question, Fargier actually does. In fact he is not a big fan of the band’s first album, Three Imaginary Boys (titled Boys Don't Cry in the U.S.), at all. A couple of songs, yes, but the album as a whole, no.
Article comments
1 - El Bicho
Check out both Wish and Bloodflowers. I also enjoyed 4:13 Dream
2 - Greg Barbrick
Bloodflowers is a record I need to hear. The distance between recordings for The Cure have made them something of a curio since Disintegration.
But Robert Smith is an enormous talent, and I need to get caught up.
Thanks for the comment Bicho.