What Came Before
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3.9 • 49 Ratings
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
'My name is David James Forrester. I'm a solicitor. Tonight, at 6.10, I killed my wife. This is my statement.'
In Melbourne's inner west, David sits in his car, dictaphone in hand. He's sick to his stomach but determined to record his version of events. His wife Elle hovers over her own lifeless body as it lies in the laundry of the house they shared. David thinks back on their relationship – intimate, passionate, intense – and what led to this terrible night.
From her eerie vantage point, Elle traces the sweep of their shared past too. Before David, she'd enjoyed a contented life; as a successful filmmaker, a much-loved aunt and friend. But in the course of two years, she was captivated and then undone by him. Not once in those turbulent times did she imagine that her alluring, complex husband was capable of this.
Dark, atmospheric and gripping, What Came Before is a stunning literary thriller about the risks you take when you fall in love.
'Chilling, unsettling.' Who Weekly
'This debut bodes well for Anna George's future writing prospects . . . Intimate character portraits and a twisty ending make it a worthwhile read.' Sunday Examiner
'Cleverly conceived, What Came Before is a not only a suspenseful thriller, but a powerful indictment of domestic violence.' Qantas, The Australian Way
'A relationship to rival that of Gone Girl's Nick and Amy, in so many ways.' Sunday Canberra Times
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Steeped in psychological suspense, Anna George’s debut novel strikes a remarkable balance between disarming humour and harrowing realism. Elle and David’s marriage has met a grisly end. Flashing back a couple of years to watch their fate unfold, it’s impossible not to be both repulsed and intrigued. Set in Australia, What Came Before deals with the cycle of domestic violence and helps explode the notion that it’s a problem unique to lower-class households. George shows how this devastating issue often hides in plain sight.
Customer Reviews
A cracking good read, cleverly crafted.
Well worth the money.
Sound, unsettling, oddly unresolved
This is a sound narrative that delves into the building and unravelling of a relationship. In it the author manages to portray the confusion of a relationship that is ill founded and beset with baggage and abuse. Unfortunately, there are times when it is not at all clear what is happening and the story becomes disjointed. Relationships between the secondary characters are difficult to follow and feel shallow and regrettably unexplored. The structure is well thought out, moving fluidly from past events to the day that is unfolding throughout the book. This is what makes the book a page turner.
I did feel as though there was one more chapter to this book - the side by side themes of romantic comedy and romantic tragedy were unresolved without a final bow. All up though, a good quick read.
Couldn't put it down!
I couldn't put this one down. Such a well written, gripping and moving story about a love story gone very very wrong.