NetGalley Top Reviewer

NetGalley Top Reviewer
NetGalley Top Reviewer

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley


4.0 out of 5 stars -- "Life is a series of decisions and reactions. It is the things you do and the things that are done to you. And then it's over."

It's been awhile since I opened a book and read until I finished it. Over the couple of hours I spent with this novel, I experienced quite a few emotions and thoroughly enjoyed the writing style of the author and the characters he created in this sadly too familiar story that could be current headline news.

A private jet crashes into the ocean just minutes out of Martha's Vineyard. The passengers include a wealthy family of 4 the Batemans, a couple who were friends of theirs, the Kiplings, a bodyguard to Mr. Batemen, a washed up artist posed for a comeback, Scott Burroughs, and the plane's crew of 3. There are only two survivors -- 4 year old JJ Bateman and Scott Burroughs. What brought down this plane?

The narrative shifts in point of view as the backstory of the characters is revealed as well as all that was currently going on in each life. It's a story of how the very wealthy live. It's about the power of the media in this age of 24-hour all access news. It's about perception and honesty and the difficulty one can have in figuring out what is important and how terribly fleeting life is.

I don't want to say more -- I'd recommend it!  February was a month of "plane crash" books for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the e-book ARC to review.


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