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Wat vooraf ging
David Forrester and Elle Nolan are sophisticated, mature people who don’t understand love. They live in a world where love is revered but marriages commonly end in divorce, or worse.
When jaded lawyer David meets Elle, he decides she’s his last chance of happiness and does everything he can to woo her and keep her. Everything, that is, except face his demons.
Elle, a lawyer herself once but now a blossoming filmmaker, is done with heartbreak. But romance can be intoxicating and David is determined.
Over the course of one ill-fated night, David and Elle recount the journey of their love affair. And it begins with David admitting into his dictaphone to the killing of Elle.
Hovering above her broken body, Elle sees the sweep of her life, its triumphs and its mistakes. She sees how, when she first met David, her newfound success as a filmmaker had made her reckless and her idealised ideas about romance misled her.
As the night progresses, we learn their story of a love of unprecedented intensity; a love David was compelled, at turns, to destroy. A love that Elle has yet to survive.
Visceral and compelling, What Came Before creates a chilling modern portrait of the dark side of love.
When jaded lawyer David meets Elle, he decides she’s his last chance of happiness and does everything he can to woo her and keep her. Everything, that is, except face his demons.
Elle, a lawyer herself once but now a blossoming filmmaker, is done with heartbreak. But romance can be intoxicating and David is determined.
Over the course of one ill-fated night, David and Elle recount the journey of their love affair. And it begins with David admitting into his dictaphone to the killing of Elle.
Hovering above her broken body, Elle sees the sweep of her life, its triumphs and its mistakes. She sees how, when she first met David, her newfound success as a filmmaker had made her reckless and her idealised ideas about romance misled her.
As the night progresses, we learn their story of a love of unprecedented intensity; a love David was compelled, at turns, to destroy. A love that Elle has yet to survive.
Visceral and compelling, What Came Before creates a chilling modern portrait of the dark side of love.
266 pages
First published June 1, 2014
24 people are currently reading
915 people want to read
About the author
Anna George
3 books39 followersAnna George is the author of What Came Before, The Lone Child and Tipping. Anna lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her husband and two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
June 21, 2014
When David Forrester met Elle Nolan, they were both outside the Sun Theatre in Melbourne. Elle was a script writer and had one film to her credit; she was currently working on her second script. The attraction between them both, especially on David’s side, was instant – after the film and drinks at the bar, they ended up at Elle’s place – he admired the décor of her apartment, then they moved on to each other…
As their relationship intensified Elle found herself pulling back – David’s moods were up one minute and down the next. Elle was never sure which David would knock on her door. But even with the volatile nature of what they had, Elle still loved David; when they married she was extremely happy – this was forever she thought.
Suddenly though, two years after they first met, everything went wrong. David’s voice came through, weak and tormented:
“My name is David James Forrester. I’m a solicitor. Tonight, at 6.10 I killed my wife. This is my statement”.
With the beginning of the book starting with the above statement, we know what happens – don’t we? The deep emotion, the passionate intimacy – all are covered in this novel. I quite enjoyed the nature of the plot with the intrigue that was built in all the way through. But I didn’t love the characters, and I guess they weren’t meant to be loved. The issue of domestic violence is blended into the pages with ease; the frustration of needing to yell at Elle was great! Her best friend had no success with her! I think this will be one of those novels which will create great debate and for that reason I have no hesitation in recommending it.
With thanks to The Reading Room and the publisher for my copy to read and review.
As their relationship intensified Elle found herself pulling back – David’s moods were up one minute and down the next. Elle was never sure which David would knock on her door. But even with the volatile nature of what they had, Elle still loved David; when they married she was extremely happy – this was forever she thought.
Suddenly though, two years after they first met, everything went wrong. David’s voice came through, weak and tormented:
“My name is David James Forrester. I’m a solicitor. Tonight, at 6.10 I killed my wife. This is my statement”.
With the beginning of the book starting with the above statement, we know what happens – don’t we? The deep emotion, the passionate intimacy – all are covered in this novel. I quite enjoyed the nature of the plot with the intrigue that was built in all the way through. But I didn’t love the characters, and I guess they weren’t meant to be loved. The issue of domestic violence is blended into the pages with ease; the frustration of needing to yell at Elle was great! Her best friend had no success with her! I think this will be one of those novels which will create great debate and for that reason I have no hesitation in recommending it.
With thanks to The Reading Room and the publisher for my copy to read and review.
August 2, 2015
What Came Before....
Many Thanks to NetGalley, The Reading Room & Penguin Australia for this Uncorrected proof copy.
WOW!!!
A bit of a slow start until about page 50 (for me)...I would suggest reading a few chapters straight through without breaking...or until the thread or gist is picked up.
There are some overly graphic descriptions of the sex scenes, pretty much from the beginning, this was a bit off putting and almost caused me to quit as it was so early into the book I wondered where it could go from there. Even by the end I wondered at the relevance or the need for so much vivid detail.
Having said that, I am so glad I didn't put it down because things did start to improve around 50 pages in and the story really started to pick up pace and began to go somewhere....Freaking Scary!!
It suddenly gets very intense and confronting,....this stuff happens!!!! Oh - My - God!!! I had to keep stopping to take a deep breath and collect myself.
In a nutshell, It is the story of one woman's struggle against the manipulative powers of the man she loves, and the sad yet surprising outcome.
This story shines a very bright light on a very real problem and it makes no apologies about the telling of it....It is so casual in its delivery of the cold hard details, it gave me chills...it reads like someone's true confession.
I found it quite hard to put down during the second half, not because it was so good..as good is not a term that comes to mind when describing this story...rather because it was so compelling in its depiction of the story as its pieces came uncomfortably together.
Even the aforementioned sex scenes...though still overly graphic....gained some context.
This book was so compelling it made me squirm...weeks after reading it I am still at a loss for adequate words to describe the intensity of its delivery, and the profound effect it had on me.
For all of it's disquieting and discomforting delivery, it is a remarkable book...especially for a debut novel!
Anna George is a new Aussie author to look out for! This is not a book I would normally choose, but having read it, I will definitely look out for more from this author.
4.5★s
Many Thanks to NetGalley, The Reading Room & Penguin Australia for this Uncorrected proof copy.
WOW!!!
A bit of a slow start until about page 50 (for me)...I would suggest reading a few chapters straight through without breaking...or until the thread or gist is picked up.
There are some overly graphic descriptions of the sex scenes, pretty much from the beginning, this was a bit off putting and almost caused me to quit as it was so early into the book I wondered where it could go from there. Even by the end I wondered at the relevance or the need for so much vivid detail.
Having said that, I am so glad I didn't put it down because things did start to improve around 50 pages in and the story really started to pick up pace and began to go somewhere....Freaking Scary!!
It suddenly gets very intense and confronting,....this stuff happens!!!! Oh - My - God!!! I had to keep stopping to take a deep breath and collect myself.
In a nutshell, It is the story of one woman's struggle against the manipulative powers of the man she loves, and the sad yet surprising outcome.
This story shines a very bright light on a very real problem and it makes no apologies about the telling of it....It is so casual in its delivery of the cold hard details, it gave me chills...it reads like someone's true confession.
I found it quite hard to put down during the second half, not because it was so good..as good is not a term that comes to mind when describing this story...rather because it was so compelling in its depiction of the story as its pieces came uncomfortably together.
Even the aforementioned sex scenes...though still overly graphic....gained some context.
This book was so compelling it made me squirm...weeks after reading it I am still at a loss for adequate words to describe the intensity of its delivery, and the profound effect it had on me.
For all of it's disquieting and discomforting delivery, it is a remarkable book...especially for a debut novel!
Anna George is a new Aussie author to look out for! This is not a book I would normally choose, but having read it, I will definitely look out for more from this author.
4.5★s
June 29, 2015
Did I read somewhere that this is a debut novel? Yes I think I did and all I can say is wow!!! If this is an example of what this author has to offer and not beginner's luck then I can't wait for what's to come....no pun intended!!! As far as thrillers go this was up there with some of the best. It was a compelling, nail biting, heart thumping read. Not always an easy read but one that hooks you in from the beginning and keeps you reading to the very end. It brings out many emotions and has you screaming at Elle in frustration but also at the same time you feel for her and her predicament. Mostly it is not what it seems and twisting and turning to the end it keeps you guessing. A great read and one I don't hesitate to recommend. Thanks to my GR friend Brenda for my copy, which in hindsight I can't believe I waited so long to read.
June 16, 2014
My View:
After reading this book the hardest question I must ask myself is which part of me responds to this book and therefore determines how the review will be written; is it the view point of a Women’s Studies Graduate (B Soc Sc), is it the view point of a once upon a time worker in a Women’s Refuge, is it the viewpoint of a worker in the Film and Television Industry, is the view point of a passionate crime fiction/psychological thriller reader or the view point of a modern mature woman who has experienced some of the manipulation and violence described in this novel? I think the answer to this question is a complicated one but I guess I will write a little from all perspectives and maybe a whole lot about how I responded to this brilliant expose of domestic violence and *limerence which coincidentally is the title of the film Elle writes in this novel – her story one of a of life imitating film… the script Dave helped to create.
Anan George writes a compelling narrative about spinning out of control with the giddiness of love; the type of love written about in romance books, portrayed on the big and little screen, of intense attachments and the willingness to suspend any doubts or faults of the person you attach the limerence to- besotted, infatuated, devoted…in love… doesn’t begin to describe the intensity of the feeling that you need to be reciprocated. You cannot survive without your partner and when cracks in the relationship start to show you work hard to cover them up and believe you can help mend these ugly traits. You ignore the little warnings, hairs that rise on the back of your neck, the words spoken harshly or loudly, the grip on your arm… the simmering below the surface barely controlled violence you can feel – you tell yourself you can change them (you can’t), you blame yourself for causing the black moods (you didn’t), you look for excuses to tell yourself or try to placate the violator and try and diffuse any anger before it explodes; you become responsible for his rage (how can that be?). Eventually the limerence fades and you are stuck in a relationship that most find hard to escape without help – and the violator has already done a really good job of isolating you from your friends and support networks – work and personal and has brow beaten your self-esteem to a tatter, all that is left is an unravelling thread…Such is the love Elle feels for Dave. Such is the damage he inflicts upon her.
To say this is a powerful emotional read is an understatement. To say this is a powerful psychological thriller is simply stating the truth. Anna George generates such authentic voices in the voices of Dave and of Elle; the script between them, internalised and spoken is so potent and accurate the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up! These two characters are intricately and vibrantly drawn.
Thorough this narrative we experience some very poignant revelations and some very clever use of stories within the story; Elle reads a book by Katherine Hepburn who painfully disclosures her own sad relationship with Spencer Tracey – a love that diminished her sense of self; “after almost three decades with Spencer Tracy, the great Kate hadn’t known why she stayed with him. She hadn’t known his feelings for her. But she’d tended to him happily and tried hard not to ruffle him. She’d even tried to forsake some of her best qualities because she suspected he didn’t like them. Because what they had, for her at least, was bliss.” Elle eventually recognises that she too has surrendered her own sense of self to appease her husband and subdue the menace that lives within him. Her film now imitates the life she now has – of two dancers out of sync, out of step… involved in a dangerous dance.
Elle’s life, like so many others, is one where domestic violence is a lesson learned firsthand. As Elle states; “She was taught nothing of the risks posed by those who claim to love you, the risks that manifest at night in family kitchens, or after the party. It would have helped, she thought, if someone had explained the warning signs: the mood swings and outbursts. And what they were; covert attempts to control. Then she could have had a language and a context for how she felt today. Better she would have been forewarned.” Thanks Anna George for opening up this dialogue, for giving us words and language and emotions and consequences that enable such conversations to be had.
Control…treating women as objects, possessions, using violence, threats, manipulation and abuse; physical, sexual and psychological (and in some cases economic control over) are all part of the bag of tricks used to control others (usually women). As Reg (retired Queen’s Counsel) states to Dave “You cannot kill your wife because you have lost control of her…And we cannot continue to blame women for their death.”… “I gather you were hoping for reconciliation and she was being difficult? What precisely did she say or do?”Reg suggests it is preferable to face the consequences than hide from them…no chance. Dave cannot take any control or responsibility for his actions. It is always someone else’s fault. “She made me….”
Back to the book- a stunning cast, a wonderfully complex plot, a few twists and turns and a surprise ending; drama, tragedy, love, marriage, death, violence- real and perceived …dark and atmospheric, this book has it all and shares it’s story powerfully and honestly.
.
*Limerence is an involuntary state of mind which results from a romantic attraction to another person combined with an overwhelming, obsessive need to have one's feelings reciprocated. The psychologist Dorothy Tennov coined the term "limerence" in her 1979 book Love and Limerence: The Experience of Being in Love to describe the concept that had grown out of her work in the mid-1960s, when she interviewed over 500 people on the topic of love.[1]
More recently, limerence has been defined in relation to obsessive compulsive disorder as “an involuntary interpersonal state that involves intrusive, obsessive, and compulsive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are contingent on perceived emotional reciprocation from the object of interest”.[2] Limerence has also been defined in terms of the potentially inspirational effects and the relationship to attachment theory, which is not exclusively sexual, as being "an involuntary potentially inspiring state of adoration and attachment to a limerent object involving intrusive and obsessive thoughts, feelings and behaviors from euphoria to despair, contingent on perceived emotional reciprocation” Attachment theory emphasizes that "many of the most intense emotions arise during the formation, the maintenance, the disruption, and the renewal of attachment relationships".[4] It has been suggested that "the state of limerence is the conscious experience of sexual incentive motivation" during attachment formation: "a kind of subjective experience of sexual incentive motivation"[5] during the "intensive...pair-forming stage"[6] of human affectionate bonding. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limerence
After reading this book the hardest question I must ask myself is which part of me responds to this book and therefore determines how the review will be written; is it the view point of a Women’s Studies Graduate (B Soc Sc), is it the view point of a once upon a time worker in a Women’s Refuge, is it the viewpoint of a worker in the Film and Television Industry, is the view point of a passionate crime fiction/psychological thriller reader or the view point of a modern mature woman who has experienced some of the manipulation and violence described in this novel? I think the answer to this question is a complicated one but I guess I will write a little from all perspectives and maybe a whole lot about how I responded to this brilliant expose of domestic violence and *limerence which coincidentally is the title of the film Elle writes in this novel – her story one of a of life imitating film… the script Dave helped to create.
Anan George writes a compelling narrative about spinning out of control with the giddiness of love; the type of love written about in romance books, portrayed on the big and little screen, of intense attachments and the willingness to suspend any doubts or faults of the person you attach the limerence to- besotted, infatuated, devoted…in love… doesn’t begin to describe the intensity of the feeling that you need to be reciprocated. You cannot survive without your partner and when cracks in the relationship start to show you work hard to cover them up and believe you can help mend these ugly traits. You ignore the little warnings, hairs that rise on the back of your neck, the words spoken harshly or loudly, the grip on your arm… the simmering below the surface barely controlled violence you can feel – you tell yourself you can change them (you can’t), you blame yourself for causing the black moods (you didn’t), you look for excuses to tell yourself or try to placate the violator and try and diffuse any anger before it explodes; you become responsible for his rage (how can that be?). Eventually the limerence fades and you are stuck in a relationship that most find hard to escape without help – and the violator has already done a really good job of isolating you from your friends and support networks – work and personal and has brow beaten your self-esteem to a tatter, all that is left is an unravelling thread…Such is the love Elle feels for Dave. Such is the damage he inflicts upon her.
To say this is a powerful emotional read is an understatement. To say this is a powerful psychological thriller is simply stating the truth. Anna George generates such authentic voices in the voices of Dave and of Elle; the script between them, internalised and spoken is so potent and accurate the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up! These two characters are intricately and vibrantly drawn.
Thorough this narrative we experience some very poignant revelations and some very clever use of stories within the story; Elle reads a book by Katherine Hepburn who painfully disclosures her own sad relationship with Spencer Tracey – a love that diminished her sense of self; “after almost three decades with Spencer Tracy, the great Kate hadn’t known why she stayed with him. She hadn’t known his feelings for her. But she’d tended to him happily and tried hard not to ruffle him. She’d even tried to forsake some of her best qualities because she suspected he didn’t like them. Because what they had, for her at least, was bliss.” Elle eventually recognises that she too has surrendered her own sense of self to appease her husband and subdue the menace that lives within him. Her film now imitates the life she now has – of two dancers out of sync, out of step… involved in a dangerous dance.
Elle’s life, like so many others, is one where domestic violence is a lesson learned firsthand. As Elle states; “She was taught nothing of the risks posed by those who claim to love you, the risks that manifest at night in family kitchens, or after the party. It would have helped, she thought, if someone had explained the warning signs: the mood swings and outbursts. And what they were; covert attempts to control. Then she could have had a language and a context for how she felt today. Better she would have been forewarned.” Thanks Anna George for opening up this dialogue, for giving us words and language and emotions and consequences that enable such conversations to be had.
Control…treating women as objects, possessions, using violence, threats, manipulation and abuse; physical, sexual and psychological (and in some cases economic control over) are all part of the bag of tricks used to control others (usually women). As Reg (retired Queen’s Counsel) states to Dave “You cannot kill your wife because you have lost control of her…And we cannot continue to blame women for their death.”… “I gather you were hoping for reconciliation and she was being difficult? What precisely did she say or do?”Reg suggests it is preferable to face the consequences than hide from them…no chance. Dave cannot take any control or responsibility for his actions. It is always someone else’s fault. “She made me….”
Back to the book- a stunning cast, a wonderfully complex plot, a few twists and turns and a surprise ending; drama, tragedy, love, marriage, death, violence- real and perceived …dark and atmospheric, this book has it all and shares it’s story powerfully and honestly.
.
*Limerence is an involuntary state of mind which results from a romantic attraction to another person combined with an overwhelming, obsessive need to have one's feelings reciprocated. The psychologist Dorothy Tennov coined the term "limerence" in her 1979 book Love and Limerence: The Experience of Being in Love to describe the concept that had grown out of her work in the mid-1960s, when she interviewed over 500 people on the topic of love.[1]
More recently, limerence has been defined in relation to obsessive compulsive disorder as “an involuntary interpersonal state that involves intrusive, obsessive, and compulsive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are contingent on perceived emotional reciprocation from the object of interest”.[2] Limerence has also been defined in terms of the potentially inspirational effects and the relationship to attachment theory, which is not exclusively sexual, as being "an involuntary potentially inspiring state of adoration and attachment to a limerent object involving intrusive and obsessive thoughts, feelings and behaviors from euphoria to despair, contingent on perceived emotional reciprocation” Attachment theory emphasizes that "many of the most intense emotions arise during the formation, the maintenance, the disruption, and the renewal of attachment relationships".[4] It has been suggested that "the state of limerence is the conscious experience of sexual incentive motivation" during attachment formation: "a kind of subjective experience of sexual incentive motivation"[5] during the "intensive...pair-forming stage"[6] of human affectionate bonding. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limerence
June 24, 2014
Are you allowed to write reviews that just say "WOW"? No, well okay - an explanation of why "wow".
From the opening lines of WHAT CAME BEFORE it's hard not to be hooked. The man talking directly to the reader has just killed his wife. He's a lawyer, so his immediate reaction is to record his statement of events - into a dictaphone, sitting in his car. In the background there's the quiet, subdued voice of his wife. Hovering there in the laundry, also talking directly to the reader. Not as often, and not in a strong voice. Well you wouldn't if you were staring at your own lifeless form would you?
Sceptical readers, such as this one, might take one look at this aspect and roll eyes. Woo Woo is something that can be very hard to swallow, particularly in a storyline as confrontational as this. Ignore it. For reasons that are almost as hard again to describe, Elle's voice works. It's low key and somehow it provides a counterpoint to the panicked and fearful reactions of David.
WHAT CAME BEFORE takes a couple of brave directions. For a start there's the close up voice of David, confessing to the murder, explaining how he and Elle came to be. Drawing the reader right in close to the car crash that his life seems to be. Along the way the backstory of the couple is revealed. In the second direction, both Elle and David are, in their own ways, unpleasant. Okay, David wins in that he's the one who strangled his wife, but neither of these people are exactly warm, comforting, kind and gentle people. Their relationship is fraught and dramatic and on again off again, which makes their ultimate marriage even more difficult to understand. In fact, all the way through this plot there's no point at which you can ever figure out why. Why they paired up, why they stayed together, what on earth they were both thinking. Obviously neither of these characters quite see it like that and that's part of the poignancy.
Which brings us to the unexpected elements. WHAT CAME BEFORE is surprisingly poignant. It's hard to watch a car crash in the making for miles and miles. It's hard to watch two people that might be a bit unpleasant but surely don't deserve to do this to themselves or each other. It's hard to watch David's panic, and Elle's amazement at their fate. It's hard to like David, it's hard to like Elle, but it gets easier to understand them.
Which brings me back to the summary line. WHAT CAME BEFORE was simply, flat out a WOW read - couldn't believe it, couldn't put it down, can't forget it.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
From the opening lines of WHAT CAME BEFORE it's hard not to be hooked. The man talking directly to the reader has just killed his wife. He's a lawyer, so his immediate reaction is to record his statement of events - into a dictaphone, sitting in his car. In the background there's the quiet, subdued voice of his wife. Hovering there in the laundry, also talking directly to the reader. Not as often, and not in a strong voice. Well you wouldn't if you were staring at your own lifeless form would you?
Sceptical readers, such as this one, might take one look at this aspect and roll eyes. Woo Woo is something that can be very hard to swallow, particularly in a storyline as confrontational as this. Ignore it. For reasons that are almost as hard again to describe, Elle's voice works. It's low key and somehow it provides a counterpoint to the panicked and fearful reactions of David.
WHAT CAME BEFORE takes a couple of brave directions. For a start there's the close up voice of David, confessing to the murder, explaining how he and Elle came to be. Drawing the reader right in close to the car crash that his life seems to be. Along the way the backstory of the couple is revealed. In the second direction, both Elle and David are, in their own ways, unpleasant. Okay, David wins in that he's the one who strangled his wife, but neither of these people are exactly warm, comforting, kind and gentle people. Their relationship is fraught and dramatic and on again off again, which makes their ultimate marriage even more difficult to understand. In fact, all the way through this plot there's no point at which you can ever figure out why. Why they paired up, why they stayed together, what on earth they were both thinking. Obviously neither of these characters quite see it like that and that's part of the poignancy.
Which brings us to the unexpected elements. WHAT CAME BEFORE is surprisingly poignant. It's hard to watch a car crash in the making for miles and miles. It's hard to watch two people that might be a bit unpleasant but surely don't deserve to do this to themselves or each other. It's hard to watch David's panic, and Elle's amazement at their fate. It's hard to like David, it's hard to like Elle, but it gets easier to understand them.
Which brings me back to the summary line. WHAT CAME BEFORE was simply, flat out a WOW read - couldn't believe it, couldn't put it down, can't forget it.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
November 14, 2018
Oof. This was a hard read. Following the spiral of a gradually abusive relationship, What Came Before challenges us to look at what we expect, and what we'll accept from those we love. Ambitious and confronting, it's not for everyone, but is a particularly powerful novel. Three and a half stars.
August 2, 2014
Utterly preposterous. Overworked, overwritten, poorly formatted in the kindle edition, full of cliche, not sure what genre it wants to be, scattered. Just 1000 kinds of awful.
May 22, 2014
Wow, what a novel. If beautifully written psychological thrillers are your thing you can't go past Anna George's debut.
April 2, 2022
it was a short thriller! it started off really slow but got better after about 100 pages!
September 26, 2016
The front cover of this book made me some spectacular promises. Mainly that it was going to be as gripping a thriller as Gone Girl--newsflash, every suspense related novel aimed at adult women since Gone Girl is not going to be like Gone Girl. Literally, Gillian Flynn had the element of surprise in that book, she absolutely killed it and honestly it to this day is a modern classic. It's like the Trojan horse or Mary pulling that whole 'it was god who got me pregnant' thing: it worked spectacularly once. And now never again. Ever. What Came Before attempts to reach new heights--or at least around the same altitude of Gone Girl, and probably gets about as far off the ground as a chicken.
The story is about the torrid and terrible relationship between David and Elle, the former is a hot shot divorced lawyer with no soul, the latter is an exceptionally naive hippy filmmaker from inner Melbourne, who is essentially a particularly brutalised Manic Pixie Dream Girl, or at least she tries to be. Despite as every single opportunity people telling Elle that David is terrible, both for her and just in general, but she keeps taking him back anyway. And I know what you're thinking; cycles of abuse and generally it takes an abused person many many attempts before they actually succeed in breaking off contact from their abuser. But goddamn Elle, love yourself. Love yourself the way your best friend loves and cares for you.
And so David ends up killing Elle. This isn't a spoiler and I'll tell you why: because it says so on the first page of the book, and in the blurb. She dead. And it cuts between both of their perspectives on both the past and the present--in which David is freaking out and recording his confession and Elle is floating around her house being ghostly and thinking "wow I really made a bad call dating this one".
David is obviously the biggest bag of dicks imaginable. The novel tries to act like his fond parental attachment to his former stepdaughter means he has a soul, but this is kind of negated with every other action he takes throughout the course of the book . He's an abusive dick, he has no soul, no real moral compass and again, seems to only really be with Elle because he sees her as his own personal Manic Pixie Dream Girl. He wants her to fix every fucked up little thing about his life--and when she fails to be a plot device for him and instead acts like a real human being with flaws and interests of her own, he begins emotionally, mentally and finally physically abusing her. Which again, cultivates in him murdering her.
Elle...well, I didn't hate her. I didn't love her by any means, and at times she was unbearably frustrating to listen to, but I do feel for her. Mostly because she entered into a relationship with someone who without her permission or any indication that she would, expected her to fix him. And honestly? Fuck that noise. It was however incredibly frustrating to witness the process of isolation that occurs with abuse as Elle unknowingly cuts off ties with the people who really care about her because honestly? Even if the entire book had been re-ordered to be entirely chronological, and my first introduction to David was the same one Elle had (as opposed to starting with a murder confession) I still would have thought he was a fucking creep.
That aside, let's talk about the writing. Anna George has some weird preoccupation with bodily fluids. And I mean all types of bodily fluids. Someone should tell her that it's fucking weird because it is. I'm sick of hearing about bodily fluids like you might think this adds some kind of 'realism' but mostly it's just gross. It's like the fine line between horror films and films that are gross under the guise of horror. Not to mention it was kind of cliche ridden and I'll be honest--as a Melbournian myself I can say with absolute certainty...I don't give a shit about David and Elle and their relationship that was quite obviously going badly from very early on.
Honestly I would have been happier with the whole thing if David had died at the end. Like I feel that might have pushed it up to at least three stars if David was just no longer a thing because he made my skin crawl and while it's illegal to kill abusive dickwads in real life...that's what we have fiction for right?
The story is about the torrid and terrible relationship between David and Elle, the former is a hot shot divorced lawyer with no soul, the latter is an exceptionally naive hippy filmmaker from inner Melbourne, who is essentially a particularly brutalised Manic Pixie Dream Girl, or at least she tries to be. Despite as every single opportunity people telling Elle that David is terrible, both for her and just in general, but she keeps taking him back anyway. And I know what you're thinking; cycles of abuse and generally it takes an abused person many many attempts before they actually succeed in breaking off contact from their abuser. But goddamn Elle, love yourself. Love yourself the way your best friend loves and cares for you.
And so David ends up killing Elle. This isn't a spoiler and I'll tell you why: because it says so on the first page of the book, and in the blurb. She dead. And it cuts between both of their perspectives on both the past and the present--in which David is freaking out and recording his confession and Elle is floating around her house being ghostly and thinking "wow I really made a bad call dating this one".
David is obviously the biggest bag of dicks imaginable. The novel tries to act like his fond parental attachment to his former stepdaughter means he has a soul, but this is kind of negated with every other action he takes throughout the course of the book . He's an abusive dick, he has no soul, no real moral compass and again, seems to only really be with Elle because he sees her as his own personal Manic Pixie Dream Girl. He wants her to fix every fucked up little thing about his life--and when she fails to be a plot device for him and instead acts like a real human being with flaws and interests of her own, he begins emotionally, mentally and finally physically abusing her. Which again, cultivates in him murdering her.
Elle...well, I didn't hate her. I didn't love her by any means, and at times she was unbearably frustrating to listen to, but I do feel for her. Mostly because she entered into a relationship with someone who without her permission or any indication that she would, expected her to fix him. And honestly? Fuck that noise. It was however incredibly frustrating to witness the process of isolation that occurs with abuse as Elle unknowingly cuts off ties with the people who really care about her because honestly? Even if the entire book had been re-ordered to be entirely chronological, and my first introduction to David was the same one Elle had (as opposed to starting with a murder confession) I still would have thought he was a fucking creep.
That aside, let's talk about the writing. Anna George has some weird preoccupation with bodily fluids. And I mean all types of bodily fluids. Someone should tell her that it's fucking weird because it is. I'm sick of hearing about bodily fluids like you might think this adds some kind of 'realism' but mostly it's just gross. It's like the fine line between horror films and films that are gross under the guise of horror. Not to mention it was kind of cliche ridden and I'll be honest--as a Melbournian myself I can say with absolute certainty...I don't give a shit about David and Elle and their relationship that was quite obviously going badly from very early on.
Honestly I would have been happier with the whole thing if David had died at the end. Like I feel that might have pushed it up to at least three stars if David was just no longer a thing because he made my skin crawl and while it's illegal to kill abusive dickwads in real life...that's what we have fiction for right?
July 25, 2014
* Copy courtesy of The Reading Room and Penguin Random House *
What Came Before is the debut novel from Anna George, a Melbourne based author with a background as a lawyer.
Set in suburban Melbourne, this novel about love and domestic violence has one of the best opening lines I've read all year, and it certainly sucks you in from the beginning:
“My name is David James Forrester. I’m a solicitor. Tonight, at 6.10, I killed my wife. This is my statement.”
This psychological thriller is told in flash back sequences by David's wife Elle Nolan, as she is floating above her broken body, a victim of domestic violence. We also hear David's perspective as he panics and tries to grapple with his foul deed.
What Came Before is an interesting and slightly disturbing insight into a seemingly normal relationship and it's steady decline. Knowing the ending doesn't detract from the plot, and I think it's a good warning for those finding themselves in a troubled relationship.
My only problem was that I recently read Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes, which is a hard hitting account of domestic violence that was a brilliant read (I wanted to give it 51/2 stars it was that good). What Came Before was more subtle, but after reading Into The Darkest Corner two months ago, I can't help comparing my reading experiences.
If you're looking for a psychological thriller set in Australia or in Melbourne, then I highly recommend What Came Before.
What Came Before is the debut novel from Anna George, a Melbourne based author with a background as a lawyer.
Set in suburban Melbourne, this novel about love and domestic violence has one of the best opening lines I've read all year, and it certainly sucks you in from the beginning:
“My name is David James Forrester. I’m a solicitor. Tonight, at 6.10, I killed my wife. This is my statement.”
This psychological thriller is told in flash back sequences by David's wife Elle Nolan, as she is floating above her broken body, a victim of domestic violence. We also hear David's perspective as he panics and tries to grapple with his foul deed.
What Came Before is an interesting and slightly disturbing insight into a seemingly normal relationship and it's steady decline. Knowing the ending doesn't detract from the plot, and I think it's a good warning for those finding themselves in a troubled relationship.
My only problem was that I recently read Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes, which is a hard hitting account of domestic violence that was a brilliant read (I wanted to give it 51/2 stars it was that good). What Came Before was more subtle, but after reading Into The Darkest Corner two months ago, I can't help comparing my reading experiences.
If you're looking for a psychological thriller set in Australia or in Melbourne, then I highly recommend What Came Before.
June 30, 2014
“My name is David James Forrester. I’m a solicitor. Tonight, at 6.10, I killed my wife.
This is my statement.”
In her remarkable debut novel, Anna George begins with the end in order to explore what came before. As David Forrester sits slumped in his car, and Elle Nolan floats over her broken body, George takes us back to the beginning of their relationship, witness first to the heady rush of attraction and then the slow, painful corruption of love.
With keen insight and deft characterisation, George exposes the dynamic of domestic violence from the perspective of both abuser and victim.
David frames love in terms of power and control. His rare concessions are manipulative, his few apologies calculated, his affection conditional.
"You cannot kill your wife because you have lost control of her."
Elle frames love in terms of surrender, gradually conceding her wants and needs to David, desperate to recapture the limerence of their initial connection.
"If only she had held onto herself"
But of all the truths in narrative it is this that resonates the strongest with me...
"Looking back she wonders at his mastery. He'd said so little yet she had heard so much.
What Came Before is a finely crafted, provocative novel told with a powerful intensity.
"It's only once the damage has been done that anyone bothers about what came before."
August 2, 2014
This is the story of a dysfunctional, abusive relationship which opens with the statement: "My name is David James Forrester. I'm a solicitor. Tonight, at 6.10, I killed my wife." The story then moves in two directions simultaneously: exploring the story of how David and his wife Elle met and how their relationship evolved and at the same time moving forwards on the night of the crime as David deals with the ramifications of what he has done.
This is a well written, book but I have to say that I really disliked it. David is such an unpleasant character and the details of their relationship are not easy to read. I didn't like spending time with these people and seeing the chances that Elle kept giving this man, knowing what we were leading towards. There are also some graphic sex scenes which felt quite uncomfortable to read.
I also felt that the structure of the book let it down. I didn't feel any tension because I knew what was going to happen (there is a slight twist towards the end, but it's insufficient).
I will say that the characters are very rounded and feel real - as I've said above, the book is well written - but I did not enjoy it and I wouldn't recommend it.
This is a well written, book but I have to say that I really disliked it. David is such an unpleasant character and the details of their relationship are not easy to read. I didn't like spending time with these people and seeing the chances that Elle kept giving this man, knowing what we were leading towards. There are also some graphic sex scenes which felt quite uncomfortable to read.
I also felt that the structure of the book let it down. I didn't feel any tension because I knew what was going to happen (there is a slight twist towards the end, but it's insufficient).
I will say that the characters are very rounded and feel real - as I've said above, the book is well written - but I did not enjoy it and I wouldn't recommend it.
January 27, 2018
Reading this book is like talking to a friend in a dysfunctional relationship who keeps going back to her bastard boyfriend time and again, even though she swears this time it's over for good. After a while you just get fed up with the self-delusion and stop trying to talk sense to her. I struggled to understand Elle's attraction to David or see any charm in him, so it was quite frustrating in this sense. It wasn't a page turner for me because the reader knows from the beginning how it will end, but I liked the twist (although it wasn't a huge surprise). Kudos to the author for tackling the subject of domestic violence and not sensationalizing it. The book is well-written and the subject is treated with sensitivity.
August 9, 2014
‘What Came Before’ is a compelling book to read. Once I started I could not put it down until I had finished reading it. I don’t want to give away too much – the scariest and perhaps the saddest thread that runs throughout the novel is, as alluded in the tag line ‘how could love go so wrong’. I strongly recommend to all those who have ever fallen in love that went wrong to read. You will find it too close to reality. I wouldn’t be surprised if ‘What Came Before’ ends up becoming the best seller for 2014.
June 30, 2014
I bought this book as part of an author night at our local cafe a week ago. I've already finished it & passed it on to a friend! Gripping, well written, amazing insight into relationships. Wow! I know it took Anna many years to write this, so I can only hope her next book doesn't take so long cos I can't wait to read it. An amazing first novel.
August 3, 2015
Ok loved this book, was fairly fast moving, at first I thought it was Ella that was a bit weird but then as the story went on I realised that it was David. Ending not what I thought. Would read another novel if Anna George writes one.
May 27, 2014
This book hooked me in right from the start. It's a vivid account of a complex relationship from lusty start to breathless end. I'm still thinking about and thoroughly enjoyed it. A great read!
August 4, 2014
I found What Came Before a thrilling and engrossing novel. Anna has a very sophisticated writing style. The book was enthralling and I can't wait for Anna's next work.
September 3, 2014
This book had me hooked from the first page. It was gripping. The characters were so believable which is quite scary, a book I would definitely recommend.
February 5, 2015
I was hooked right from the opening page. Very difficult subject that highlights the complexity of domestic violence. Looking forward to the next book by Anna George.
June 24, 2014
“My name is David James Forrester. I’m a solicitor. Tonight, at 6.10, I killed my wife.
This is my statement.”
David is making a recording into a dictaphone, sitting in his car in Melbourne’s inner-west. He’s just done a horrible thing but he’s determined to get his story down, record what happened from his point of view. He knows that he needs advice, he needs someone to help him. As he wonders what to do, sick by what has just happened, David thinks back on his and Elle’s tumultuous two year relationship and how it led up to this night.
He isn’t the only one thinking back. Floating above her body, Elle too is thinking of how they met, how she fell in love with him and how it fell apart. Before she met David, her life was content. She was 34, a successful filmmaker, friend and aunt to two lovely nephews. She’d just bought a new house. She’d left the corporate world behind a long time ago and made her home out in Seddon, a somewhat forgotten suburb. Then she meets David and is utterly captivated by him. He has a power over her that no man has ever come close to achieving before. When things are good with David…they are very very good. He is witty, funny, intelligent and successful. He admires her career and contributes thoughts and opinions on her latest film script.
But when things are bad with David….they are very very bad.
If the first sentence of this book doesn’t suck you in (which is the one I’ve quoted to open my review here) then nothing will. This book opens with David in his car after committing a terrible act. He’s a lawyer, so on one hand, he’s surprisingly calm and rational about what he must do next. However, there’s another part of him that’s sick and panicking, shaking and scared. There’s anger as well, in a way, that he has been manipulated into doing this. That somehow, he can blame Elle for all of the actions he has committed not just on this night, but since they met. And from there, the book takes the reader back to David and Elle’s first meeting. To what should’ve been a one night stand but kept going. The good times and the bad….how David managed to hide portions of himself from Elle. And that even afterwards, when they were revealed, how she was unable to sever their relationship. She tried – several times. But he was always able to win his way back.
What Came Before is a gripping insight into domestic violence and showcases how a strong and confident woman like Elle can find herself in a situation where she’s enmeshed with a man such as David, who has temper and alcohol issues, who manipulates and justifies his every action. He apologises but often not sincerely and finds ways to make Elle believe that somehow his loss of control has her issue, not his. Elle used to be a lawyer herself before she turned her hand to filmmaking and I think George has taken great pains to create a character who is both logical but also romantic. Who possesses the ability to at times, see what is happening and try and change it but at other times, seems unable to see the real David as he begins to appear. There’s a back and forth of the relationship and as Elle herself states, very few women escape a violent relationship on their first attempt. On average, it will take a woman seven times before she can leave for good.
Every year in Australia, women are killed in domestic situations by their partner or ex-partner. It is a growing, shocking crime and the laws are simply unable to help prevent it, in most cases. There are few places women can safely seek shelter, either due to lack of funding or lack of knowledge that they exist. And if women do get the courage to leave and go to the police, in most cases, apprehended violence orders are barely worth the paper they’re printed on. You only need to glance casually through a newspaper on almost any given week to find a story of a woman who has been murdered by her partner or former partner, sometimes publicly as in this case in Sunshine recently. This book references real-life cases where men have terrorised their former partners in other ways – Robert Farquharson driving his 3 sons into a Winchelsea dam and Arthur Phillip Freeman throwing his five year old daughter Darcie from the top of the West Gate Bridge are incidents that horrified an entire country. But for every event that makes the news, there are thousands more that don’t, that barely rate a mention, that don’t incite the public emotional response.
This book showcases beautifully the disintegration of a relationship, the things that Elle overlooks or willfully ignores. Her closes friend Mira is desperately worried about her and seems able to better perceive David. I’m not sure if Elle’s sexual response to David is a great inhibitor of allowing her to truly see him at times but this is an example of how people can keep coming back to each other after break ups, even getting married, when things have been deeply troubled for some time. David has an inner restlessness, an intensity that at first, seems somewhat attractive but then comes to be seen as almost a mania. His attempts at justification, after the fact, speak volumes:
“In a nutshell, she’s pushed me past the point of no return. And I lost it.”
David thinks he’s got his legal defense all sewn up only to be told:
“We live to higher standards today.” Reg focuses in tight on David. “You cannot kill your wife because you have lost control of her.”
“And we,” says Reg. “Cannot continue to blame women for their deaths.”
Dave wants to yell: Why the fuck not?
And sadly, I don’t think this is a rare occurrence, men like David believing that they’ve been driven to this point by their errant wives who won’t obey or want to leave, or whatever. That there should be some sort of justification for murdering a woman who has angered you and given you good reason. That women are objects to control and that when they assert some of their own authority (as Elle does here, that so incenses David), it becomes almost imperative to take it back. No matter the end.
To say that I was unsettled throughout this book would be an understatement. It’s set close to where I live, which perhaps helped cement a bit of a feeling of affinity for Elle, who could be someone from my book club. I don’t often read books set around here, being the ‘undesirable’ side of Melbourne at the best of times, but it showed Seddon and some of its surrounds in a new light. However there’s rather a lot devoted to Elle’s writing of her new script and then filming of the movie, which serves to slow things down and often distracted me from the other issues at play here. I get the parallel and the application of the title of the movie but at times it felt almost too overpowering as a part of the narrative. I lost interest in that aspect of the story – by the end I really didn’t care about Elle’s second film and what it might or might not say.
This paragraph might be considered ***SPOILERY***
The other issue I have is actually with the conclusion. I’m not sure how to put my feelings about the ending into words but I felt a bit manipulated by it…almost as if the book is David and I am Elle. Being led to believe one thing and then being shown the true face. It seemed a bit too convenient, in some ways, things resolved in a way in which I didn’t expect. I just don’t think the ending really worked for me personally. It feels almost like there was a fear of actually having the act play out the way it has been described.
End possible ***SPOILERS***
Nevertheless, still a powerful and evocative psychological thriller, delving deep into an issue that becomes more and more predominant every day in our society. Anna George is going to be an author to watch.
This is my statement.”
David is making a recording into a dictaphone, sitting in his car in Melbourne’s inner-west. He’s just done a horrible thing but he’s determined to get his story down, record what happened from his point of view. He knows that he needs advice, he needs someone to help him. As he wonders what to do, sick by what has just happened, David thinks back on his and Elle’s tumultuous two year relationship and how it led up to this night.
He isn’t the only one thinking back. Floating above her body, Elle too is thinking of how they met, how she fell in love with him and how it fell apart. Before she met David, her life was content. She was 34, a successful filmmaker, friend and aunt to two lovely nephews. She’d just bought a new house. She’d left the corporate world behind a long time ago and made her home out in Seddon, a somewhat forgotten suburb. Then she meets David and is utterly captivated by him. He has a power over her that no man has ever come close to achieving before. When things are good with David…they are very very good. He is witty, funny, intelligent and successful. He admires her career and contributes thoughts and opinions on her latest film script.
But when things are bad with David….they are very very bad.
If the first sentence of this book doesn’t suck you in (which is the one I’ve quoted to open my review here) then nothing will. This book opens with David in his car after committing a terrible act. He’s a lawyer, so on one hand, he’s surprisingly calm and rational about what he must do next. However, there’s another part of him that’s sick and panicking, shaking and scared. There’s anger as well, in a way, that he has been manipulated into doing this. That somehow, he can blame Elle for all of the actions he has committed not just on this night, but since they met. And from there, the book takes the reader back to David and Elle’s first meeting. To what should’ve been a one night stand but kept going. The good times and the bad….how David managed to hide portions of himself from Elle. And that even afterwards, when they were revealed, how she was unable to sever their relationship. She tried – several times. But he was always able to win his way back.
What Came Before is a gripping insight into domestic violence and showcases how a strong and confident woman like Elle can find herself in a situation where she’s enmeshed with a man such as David, who has temper and alcohol issues, who manipulates and justifies his every action. He apologises but often not sincerely and finds ways to make Elle believe that somehow his loss of control has her issue, not his. Elle used to be a lawyer herself before she turned her hand to filmmaking and I think George has taken great pains to create a character who is both logical but also romantic. Who possesses the ability to at times, see what is happening and try and change it but at other times, seems unable to see the real David as he begins to appear. There’s a back and forth of the relationship and as Elle herself states, very few women escape a violent relationship on their first attempt. On average, it will take a woman seven times before she can leave for good.
Every year in Australia, women are killed in domestic situations by their partner or ex-partner. It is a growing, shocking crime and the laws are simply unable to help prevent it, in most cases. There are few places women can safely seek shelter, either due to lack of funding or lack of knowledge that they exist. And if women do get the courage to leave and go to the police, in most cases, apprehended violence orders are barely worth the paper they’re printed on. You only need to glance casually through a newspaper on almost any given week to find a story of a woman who has been murdered by her partner or former partner, sometimes publicly as in this case in Sunshine recently. This book references real-life cases where men have terrorised their former partners in other ways – Robert Farquharson driving his 3 sons into a Winchelsea dam and Arthur Phillip Freeman throwing his five year old daughter Darcie from the top of the West Gate Bridge are incidents that horrified an entire country. But for every event that makes the news, there are thousands more that don’t, that barely rate a mention, that don’t incite the public emotional response.
This book showcases beautifully the disintegration of a relationship, the things that Elle overlooks or willfully ignores. Her closes friend Mira is desperately worried about her and seems able to better perceive David. I’m not sure if Elle’s sexual response to David is a great inhibitor of allowing her to truly see him at times but this is an example of how people can keep coming back to each other after break ups, even getting married, when things have been deeply troubled for some time. David has an inner restlessness, an intensity that at first, seems somewhat attractive but then comes to be seen as almost a mania. His attempts at justification, after the fact, speak volumes:
“In a nutshell, she’s pushed me past the point of no return. And I lost it.”
David thinks he’s got his legal defense all sewn up only to be told:
“We live to higher standards today.” Reg focuses in tight on David. “You cannot kill your wife because you have lost control of her.”
“And we,” says Reg. “Cannot continue to blame women for their deaths.”
Dave wants to yell: Why the fuck not?
And sadly, I don’t think this is a rare occurrence, men like David believing that they’ve been driven to this point by their errant wives who won’t obey or want to leave, or whatever. That there should be some sort of justification for murdering a woman who has angered you and given you good reason. That women are objects to control and that when they assert some of their own authority (as Elle does here, that so incenses David), it becomes almost imperative to take it back. No matter the end.
To say that I was unsettled throughout this book would be an understatement. It’s set close to where I live, which perhaps helped cement a bit of a feeling of affinity for Elle, who could be someone from my book club. I don’t often read books set around here, being the ‘undesirable’ side of Melbourne at the best of times, but it showed Seddon and some of its surrounds in a new light. However there’s rather a lot devoted to Elle’s writing of her new script and then filming of the movie, which serves to slow things down and often distracted me from the other issues at play here. I get the parallel and the application of the title of the movie but at times it felt almost too overpowering as a part of the narrative. I lost interest in that aspect of the story – by the end I really didn’t care about Elle’s second film and what it might or might not say.
This paragraph might be considered ***SPOILERY***
The other issue I have is actually with the conclusion. I’m not sure how to put my feelings about the ending into words but I felt a bit manipulated by it…almost as if the book is David and I am Elle. Being led to believe one thing and then being shown the true face. It seemed a bit too convenient, in some ways, things resolved in a way in which I didn’t expect. I just don’t think the ending really worked for me personally. It feels almost like there was a fear of actually having the act play out the way it has been described.
End possible ***SPOILERS***
Nevertheless, still a powerful and evocative psychological thriller, delving deep into an issue that becomes more and more predominant every day in our society. Anna George is going to be an author to watch.
August 5, 2017
Mein Name ist David James Forrester. Ich bin Anwalt. Heute Abend um 18 Uhr 10 habe ich meine Frau getötet. Dies ist meine Aussage.
Diese Zeilen stehen auf dem Klappentext. Man kann sich also vorab schon denken, dass es sich nicht um einen herkömmlichen Thriller handelt. Die Erzählung befasst sich mit der Tat an sich. Den Gefühlen und Gedanken Davids, aber auch mit Elles. Während David durch die Straßen von Melbourne irrt, an einer Verteidigungsstrategie arbeitet und man seine Sicht auf die obsessive Liebe zwischen Elle und ihm bekommt, hatt Elle ihre eigene Stimme. Diese ihre Sichtweise, ist außerhalb ihres Körpers platziert. Was zur Folge hat, dass man sich gerade ihr als Opfer sehr nahe fühlt. Der Hintergedanke während des Lesens ist natürlich immer, wie und warum es zu dieser Tat gekommen ist. Allmählich bröckelt dann auch Davids Fassade und man erkennt die Richtung, die der Roman einschlägt. Wie die Eheleute wirklich zu einander standen.
Ein wirklich gut strukturiertes Drama, dessen Ausgang bereits zu beginn klar zu sein scheint. Flüssig im Schreibstil, mit bedrückenden Szenen, einer überraschenden Wendung und einem – ja – passenden Ausgang. Die Geschichte kommt mit wenigen Charakteren daher, die aber jeder für sich eine gute passende Rolle in der Handlung haben.
Mit dem Cover kann ich nicht wirklich was anfangen. Was soll es darstellen, was soll es sein? Der Titel passt dafür sehr gut zur Geschichte.
Mein Fazit:
Ein Thriller der mehr Spannungsroman ist und viel dramatisches aus einem Liebes- und Eheleben zu bieten hat, mit durchaus realen Komponenten. Liebe macht blind, oder ist es doch eher Abhängigkeit? Tja, das muss jeder Leser für sich entscheiden. Ich fand die Geschichte gut.
July 26, 2022
Incredibly readable, terrifying and thrilling. Couldn’t put it away.
June 14, 2019
Where do I start- this is perhaps a 5
An engrossing book about the challenging and painful subject of domestic violence ,distorted love and danger
This is an anguished hand over mouth read especially towards the end
The characters David and Ellie are so credible and damaged that their pain and misperceptions become real and heartbreaking
An engrossing book about the challenging and painful subject of domestic violence ,distorted love and danger
This is an anguished hand over mouth read especially towards the end
The characters David and Ellie are so credible and damaged that their pain and misperceptions become real and heartbreaking
January 8, 2015
Lovers of Gillian Flynn’s blockbuster novel Gone Girl take note. What came before, the first novel by Melbourne writer, Anna George, is another dark, emotionally charged thriller that digs deep into a marriage to unravel the twisted story of a husband who murders his wife.
Published in June 2014, it took George a decade to write and she says the novel went through several incarnations. Trained as a lawyer, she drew on her previous knowledge and read many stories of women killed by their partners or exes.
Gone Girl and What came before both peel back the layers of a marriage to show us the rotting insides. Both books begin as fairytale romances. Within a few years of marriage, both quickly descend into hellish nightmares of seemingly no escape.
The story has two timelines. David’s timeline begins with his confession. “Tonight at 6:10, I killed my wife. This is my statement.” What does David do in the hours after murdering of his wife? Then there is Elle’s timeline which has a supernatural element as Elle’s spirit or soul, is hovering over her lifeless body. In the hours after her murder she relives the story of her relationship with David, beginning in the past and working towards her own murder.
There are none of the strategic traps and elaborate plots as in Gone Girl to keep the audience guessing.
The reader is driven by the question of Why. Why does David kill Elle? Why does Elle stay with a man who is capable of such violence? In reliving the start of their relationship. Elle comes to realise how she became so diminished through emotional abuse.
The theme of limerance is woven into the story early. Elle explains it as a “heady, in-love state felt typically in the early days of a relationship, those all-consuming and intense feelings that inevitably pass.” Despite recognising it’s temporary state, limerance is one of the reasons that Elle holds on to the relationship far too long, perhaps in the hope that the feeling will return and David will again become the charismatic man she fell in love with. At times it felt difficult to believe that an intelligent, capable, independent person would stay with an emotional abuser, however the many tragic cases that George read as research for this novel indicate that despite the ubiquitousness of divorce, sadly, many people do stay with an abusive partner.
Well-written with elegant prose, What came before is a page-turner not for the faint hearted.
Published in June 2014, it took George a decade to write and she says the novel went through several incarnations. Trained as a lawyer, she drew on her previous knowledge and read many stories of women killed by their partners or exes.
Gone Girl and What came before both peel back the layers of a marriage to show us the rotting insides. Both books begin as fairytale romances. Within a few years of marriage, both quickly descend into hellish nightmares of seemingly no escape.
The story has two timelines. David’s timeline begins with his confession. “Tonight at 6:10, I killed my wife. This is my statement.” What does David do in the hours after murdering of his wife? Then there is Elle’s timeline which has a supernatural element as Elle’s spirit or soul, is hovering over her lifeless body. In the hours after her murder she relives the story of her relationship with David, beginning in the past and working towards her own murder.
There are none of the strategic traps and elaborate plots as in Gone Girl to keep the audience guessing.
The reader is driven by the question of Why. Why does David kill Elle? Why does Elle stay with a man who is capable of such violence? In reliving the start of their relationship. Elle comes to realise how she became so diminished through emotional abuse.
The theme of limerance is woven into the story early. Elle explains it as a “heady, in-love state felt typically in the early days of a relationship, those all-consuming and intense feelings that inevitably pass.” Despite recognising it’s temporary state, limerance is one of the reasons that Elle holds on to the relationship far too long, perhaps in the hope that the feeling will return and David will again become the charismatic man she fell in love with. At times it felt difficult to believe that an intelligent, capable, independent person would stay with an emotional abuser, however the many tragic cases that George read as research for this novel indicate that despite the ubiquitousness of divorce, sadly, many people do stay with an abusive partner.
Well-written with elegant prose, What came before is a page-turner not for the faint hearted.
January 2, 2024
The copy I read was an uncorrected proof (not sure how that got to the local op shop!). I can’t help but wonder if the final version ended better? It felt a little unfinished and unsatisfying. So dark and interesting, rare to read a fiction based in areas I’ve actually been to.
August 5, 2014
I have to admit to some conflict of interest in reviewing this; naturally I am trying not to let any bias get in the way, but…another debut Melbourne author in my genre whose book came out before mine! Sister’s in Crime have (bless them) been supportive and I manged to get to her event at Readings and she's interesting and nice to boot! And I don’t like to say negative things about anyone let alone someone I might have to face off across the room at a future book event (I live in hope)…(This doesn’t imply I want to say anything negative, just setting the scene!).
So – she tackles an important topic (DV) and references (as I do in mine) recent relevant local cases (hers are different cases as mine isn’t about DV). Apparently she has been writing it ten years but it does read as a post Gone Girl type of story (which must have annoyed the bejeesus out of her!). It’s a “his / hers” version of events, seems (I’ll try not to do a spoiler) after a fairly nasty and terminal type of event with moves between past and present in both him and her, and clear views of the friends (well her girlfriend anyway). Its competently written, and I kept wanting to read despite already knowing it wasn’t a happy ending (it wasn’t marketed as a romance!). It’s also short! No idea how many words but read it easily in a half day—I’ve a feeling it’s the 60,000 word push from editors, and maybe it’s right for this uncomplicated story (for a real thriller with twists definitely needs to be longer). So well observed psychopathology and though there’s a bit of a twist at the end I’d call it a psychological drama rather than thriller.
So – she tackles an important topic (DV) and references (as I do in mine) recent relevant local cases (hers are different cases as mine isn’t about DV). Apparently she has been writing it ten years but it does read as a post Gone Girl type of story (which must have annoyed the bejeesus out of her!). It’s a “his / hers” version of events, seems (I’ll try not to do a spoiler) after a fairly nasty and terminal type of event with moves between past and present in both him and her, and clear views of the friends (well her girlfriend anyway). Its competently written, and I kept wanting to read despite already knowing it wasn’t a happy ending (it wasn’t marketed as a romance!). It’s also short! No idea how many words but read it easily in a half day—I’ve a feeling it’s the 60,000 word push from editors, and maybe it’s right for this uncomplicated story (for a real thriller with twists definitely needs to be longer). So well observed psychopathology and though there’s a bit of a twist at the end I’d call it a psychological drama rather than thriller.
December 1, 2014
Very well written book on a topic I'd normally shy away from. I wouldn't have read it unless it was selected for bookclub (and was written by a friend of one of our bookclub members), but I am glad I did. It's not a pleasant read - from the quite graphic and emotionally charged sex scenes in the beginning (suggestive of the violence to come) to the revealing of the dysfunctional and abusive relationship, it was uncomfortable but very real. The fact that both parties were well educated, in well respected professions allowed some exploration of why it still happened - why he kept going and why she didn't leave sooner. Sadly, it can affect all people. The fact that David, a solicitor, was thinking through his defence and considering cases which are well known here in Melbourne emphasised that (something again I wasn't entirely comfortable with, but it probably added to the story). Important story to tell.
September 19, 2015
This book was moving beyond words, I cried and longed for her to show strength for her survival. What a book.. the sad truth is that this kind of abuse is happening far too often in this world.
David is a manipulative, egotistic, angry man. Throughout this whole book I found myself furious at Elle for taking this man back over and over again. Strangely enough this is so common in everyday life, I’ve seen it in firsthand in people’s relationships...
“In that brief pause, she realised what it was she most wanted: the good version of him”
The reoccurring factor for me was that Elle kept thinking that David would ‘improve’ his behaviour and that he ‘wanted’ to change. I just wish that women would stop being so weak sometimes and stand up for what they want in a relationship and don’t take anything less.
This book is for all those women whose lives were cut far too short and couldn’t survive the brutality of ‘love’.
David is a manipulative, egotistic, angry man. Throughout this whole book I found myself furious at Elle for taking this man back over and over again. Strangely enough this is so common in everyday life, I’ve seen it in firsthand in people’s relationships...
“In that brief pause, she realised what it was she most wanted: the good version of him”
The reoccurring factor for me was that Elle kept thinking that David would ‘improve’ his behaviour and that he ‘wanted’ to change. I just wish that women would stop being so weak sometimes and stand up for what they want in a relationship and don’t take anything less.
This book is for all those women whose lives were cut far too short and couldn’t survive the brutality of ‘love’.
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