Review: Life Before

Life Before by Carmel Reilly
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this, though it's not my usual fare. I do prefer things a little faster and more involved, but this still managed to keep me interested.

The story is relatively simple: told in dual timelines, we learn of Lori in 2016, who is informed the brother she hasn't spoken to for 20 years has just been in a bad accident. Back in 1993, we visit their mother Pam, and witness the fallout of the event that tore the siblings apart.

A slower burn, this story takes great pains to immerse us in the lives of our two protagonists, Lori and Pam. I was particularly drawn to mother, Pam, and felt for her as the mother trying to save face and keep peace amongst all while dealing with something so horrible. She is a strong woman dealing with tragedy and I had a lot of compassion for her and was glad she had support.

Lori frustrated me; she is stubborn and self-absorbed and her lies seemed so pointless to me. Still, I could understand her a little from the way things played out and it was interesting to me how my opinion of her developed throughout the novel.

This is very much a character-driven story, but there's an element of mystery that does give it a bit of an addictive feel. I can appreciate the story for what it is and how it was written, but for the most part it's just not the kind of book that gets me raving.

It's also such an Aussie story, and I do cringe a little when the yobbo is so strong. Here's an example of what I consider 'over-Australianising':

"Des parked the car one street back from the cul-de-sac and got out. He leaned on the bonnet and lit up a cigarette. Standing in the tepid sunshine with the eucalypt-scented breeze wafting down on him, he thought, not for the first time, that he really needed to give up the fags."

Other people will love this level of atmosphere immersion but I myself hate how often Australian stereotypes are reinforced. It suits the country-town setting, but doesn't suit my personal tastes.

That being said, I do very much enjoy stories set in places I personally recognise, so all the mentions of Melbourne and surrounding towns were a lot of fun for me.

Overall, it was a well-written story and a good read. It lost stars for me mostly because it's not my favourite kind of genre, but those who enjoy general Australian fiction with a shadow of mystery should be impressed by this one.

With thanks to A&U for an ARC

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