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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
honest reactions,
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,
By
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,
By
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.
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