Before and After (G K Hall Large Print Book Series) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Rosellen Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1993 | Series: G K Hall Large Print Book Series

The Reisers were a typical American family. Two loving parents. Two bright teenagers. A lovely home in a small New England town. But then one day the doorbell rang, bringing news of a shattered crime that would turn their son into a stranger and tear their lives in half...A novel that dares us to ask how well we, as families, really know each other and ourselves...dares us to see that one event can change every-thing... dares us to confront the fine and shattering line between guilt and innocence, and between love and rage.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Brown's riveting novel about a family torn apart by a son's murder of his girlfriend--a six-week PW bestseller in cloth--scrutinizes ethical principles in crisis situations.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This fascinating novel, by the author of such critically acclaimed works as Tender Mercies ( LJ 11/15/78. o.p.) and Civil Wars ( LJ 4/15/84), concerns a family's struggle to hold itself together after a teenaged son murders his girlfriend. The story is told alternately from the viewpoint of the boy's mother, father, and sister. The story moves from initial shock and denial (our son could never have done this!) through anxiety over his disappearance and the difficulties of his capture and incarceration to the murder trial itself and finally to life "afterwards," when the family has had to relocate to another part of the country to avoid cruel gossip in the small New Hampshire town where these events took place. The family members are not only at odds with the community but frequently at odds with one another as well. Deep questions of loyalty, honesty, and love are forced to the surface in this psychologically riveting tale.
- Jessica Grim, Oberlin Coll. Lib., Ohio
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 509 pages
• Publisher: G K Hall & Co (March 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816155836
• ISBN-13: 978-0816155835
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars honest reactions, February 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Before and After (Paperback)

Brown says, "I take very seriously the idea that novelists raise questions and don't necessarily answer them," and that "Novels are where we learn what it feels like to be someone else, where we learn to be patient with ways of looking at things that are not our own." (These quotes are from an interesting overview of the writer at ..., which is a great source for all sorts of literary stuff.) I think that some of the readers on this page need to keep this approach in mind before dismissing the book because they don't like the characters. I think Brown would say they're missing the point.

What was most notable about this book to me was that the situation is so ghastly, you can't imagine how you'd deal with it. I liked the way the main characters reacted so differently, and that the father did something that seems as terrible as the son, and yet, while you want to slap him and tell him to snap the hell out of it, you have to recognize the emotional truth of his reaction. Some readers seem to want a clear-cut resolution, but to do so would immeasurably flatten the book and diminish the power of the story. For instance, in writing off the son as an irredeemable creep while lauding the daughter's characterization, readers are ignoring her loyalty to her brother, which clearly doesn't spring out of a vacuum.

The characters are extremely flawed and complex, and they get into your brain. You may want to hug them or shake them or yell at them, but whatever your reaction, they seem incredibly alive. Brown's a poet, and some of her descriptions are beautiful if a fair amount of the dialogue, particularly early on, isn't esp. natural; small price to pay for some of the lines, which are beautiful, simple, and true. Good book, and a fast read as it's extremely compelling.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stuffy Reviewers - Good book, September 25, 2011

By 

Jamie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Before and After: A Novel (Paperback)

Unfortunately, many reviewers don't seem to realise that the review is for how good the book is, not whether or not you like the family that in this case are the main characters. Just because a book challenges what you think of life or moves you (even negatively) does not mean it is a bad book. In fact that is quite often criteria for a good book. Some people seem to be too stuck in their ways to appreciate this great novel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grabbed Me and Held Me, January 25, 2010

By 

Shane Shogren (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Before and After: A Novel (Paperback)

When Jacob Reiser, a teenager in New Hampshire, kills his girlfriend, his parents Ben and Carolyn are forced to think about their values and their morals as well as their relationship. They would like things to go back to the way they'd been before the murder, but it can't be. This story grabbed me and held me.