Christina Reviews *Before and After* by Rosellen Brown

                       "What is impossible in this world?
                         Is there anything that cannot happen?"  (Brown, 139)


          Before and After is about what happens to a family when one of its member is accused of murder, and it's about the lengths to which a father will go to protect his son.  I read it years ago, when I was perhaps too young to fully understand it.  And yet, it remains one of my favorite books.  It is told from the points of view of the mother, father and sister of Jacob Reiser, a 17 year old boy who is suspected of killing his high school girlfriend.  His parents didn't even know he was dating Martha Taverner, and then, the next thing they know, she's dead, and their son is the prime suspect. 

         This is obviously a disturbing book due to its subject matter.  Who wants to think about how they would feel if they were in this position?  At the same time, it's disturbing because the character of Jacob is just so shadowy and, at times, incredibly unsympathetic.  He's the kind of person that old ladies love, but only because they don't know his darkest secrets, but then nobody but his younger sister truly does, and her chapters are particularly disturbing. 
        
          I watched the movie before I read the book, and I recommend that everyone do this---not just with Before and After but with every book turned into a movie.  That way, you will never be disappointed.  You will always be pleasantly surprised.  But I do want to say that, if you have seen the movie Before and After, but you have not read the book, you might be disappointed in the stark contrast between the book Jacob and the movie Jacob.  Rosellen Brown is not one to pull any punches.

          It's beautifully written.  The characters are complex.  The only thing that works against the story is that it is perhaps a little too dark.

          I would give it four out of five stars.