Before the Fall centers around the crash of a private plane, and how a painter and a little boy survive while all the others perish. There's no denying that the mystery behind a plane crash is compelling, and the story definitely benefits from that. In the end, the mystery is satisfactorily solved, and we find out what transpires to crash the plane.
That said, this book is held back by a few things. The pacing is terribly uneven. At times, it feels like it's being written by two different authors, one who is focused on advancing the story, keeping everything tightly and expertly paced; while the other is prone to random philosophical ramblings and completely unrelated side stories of each passenger's past. I very much enjoyed the former author's writing, and wish there was less of the latter's in the book.
As a reader, I have a problem with random ramblings equating to deepness, as if some nonsensical sentences that sound good put together with crudeness is necessary to propel a story from average to great, from artificial to genuine. And I feel this story suffered from this. Most of the characters in this book are either strangely foul-mouthed narcissists or incoherent long-winded ramblers (or both!) who come across as exaggerated caricatures. And it took away from what should have been a fast-paced book and slowed the forward momentum at crucial points.
Readaroo Rating: 3 stars
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