Well holy shit, finally! After a February of false starts, beginning at least a dozen books that I'd get twenty or thirty percent into only to realize I was making myself continue reading, I hit the jackpot. Three days from start to finish on this one and that's only because my time was also taken up by doctor's appointments, work, and a Victoria's Secret sale.
I loved this book, and I'm excited about reading again. Noah Hawley's writing made me remember why books and stories have always been my passion. The narrative was compelling, the characters believable, and the pacing was perfection. I also loved that this book had important things to say about the world we live in and how we get our news and what we as a society feed off of. The news isn't about the actual news anymore, it's about entertaining a public hungry for the next thing to gossip about at work the next morning. Before the Fall isn't preachy, the things it has to say are a natural part of the story but they may very well make you think a little bit more about how your news is presented to you.
Besides all that, the real meat and potatoes of the story is the mystery and the characters. There have been many times I've picked up a book that sounds great only to have it turn out to be a laundry list of interesting things that happen to people you never end up caring about. God, that drives me nuts. Thank goodness Before the Fall doesn't do that. The things that happen are as equally fascinating as the characters they happen to.
And oh! Sidenote! Noah Hawley happens to be the writer and the creator for the show Fargo. Which means I have some TV watching to do. I've also read Sony has picked up the rights to make a movie from this, hoping that's true, I think it would be fantastic (I'm feeling Matthew McConaughey :)
Before the Fall is gonna be on a lot of must read lists this year, add it to yours!
Thanks NetGalley!
(Summary from Amazon) On a foggy summer night, eleven people-ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter-depart Martha's Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are Scott Burroughs-the painter-and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of an immensely wealthy and powerful media mogul's family. With chapters weaving between the aftermath of the crash and the backstories of the passengers and crew members-including a Wall Street titan and his wife, a Texan-born party boy just in from London, a young woman questioning her path in life, and a career pilot-the mystery surrounding the tragedy heightens. As the passengers' intrigues unravel, odd coincidences point to a conspiracy. Was it merely by dumb chance that so many influential people perished? Or was something far more sinister at work? Events soon threaten to spiral out of control in an escalating storm of media outrage and accusations. And while Scott struggles to cope with fame that borders on notoriety, the authorities scramble to salvage the truth from the wreckage. Amid pulse-quickening suspense, the fragile relationship between Scott and the young boy glows at the heart of this stunning novel, raising questions of fate, human nature, and the inextricable ties that bind us together.
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (May 31, 2016)
