New Book Alert: That Was Before by Dan Lawton; Strange Mixture of Obsession, Love, and Domestic Terrorism

 

New Book Alert: That Was Before by Dan Lawton; Strange, Deceiving, but Disappointing Mixture of Obsession, Love, and Domestic Terrorism

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Dan Lawton's strange thriller novel That Was Before has plenty of explosions of the emotional and literal variety.

Various love triangles take place at the same time that a bomb explodes in a supermarket bringing all of the emotions at the forefront.

Married man, Randolph is ready to have an affair with cashier Sheila when a bomb explodes at the supermarket leaving Sheila hospitalized. Throwing caution to the wind and reeling about his vicious divorce from his soon to be ex-wife Patricia, Randolph decides to take a spontaneous road trip with Sheila so they could get closer with a sinister man following them that has the demeanor of a private detective but Sheila insists is merely a former boyfriend. Meanwhile, Benji, a barista with some expertise in computers is worried that he hasn't heard from his girlfriend, Shay and keeps harassing her with phone calls. However, he also has another girlfriend, the older and more unpredictable Cheyenne by his side. Then there is Sheila's strange behavior that suggests that her mind is on something or someone else and may be more dangerous than Randolph is willing to admit.

The danger is present throughout. Even when things are quiet, there is a suspicion that something else is going on. During a night of pillow talk while Randolph and Sheila are baring their souls, Sheila's answers seem to imply more than she is admitting. It's clear that various characters are hiding something from others.

This subterfuge makes the book suspenseful but the resolution is somewhat confusing. Some characters are revealed to have double identities and are involved with more than one person, making the circumstances somewhat contrived with how the same characters not only encounter each other but hook up. The cause for the explosion is somewhat arbitrary and goes against previous facts in the narration, unless Lawton is pulling the unreliable narrator card which doesn't make much sense since the book is third person omniscient and such tricks are unnecessary for such a narrator except to fool and annoy the Reader. 

Also, the book ends with a transparent means to bring about a sequel which is unnecessary since the Reader knows the characters' real identities and agendas. At the very least, there better be some PTSD involved since the character who may get the sequel will certainly be traumatized knowing that everyone around them (including people that they have known for years) have lied to them. At least some character development should be called for.

For a strong suspenseful beginning and clever deception and disguise, That Was Before gives a truly disappointing ending. Before it was good. Now it is a missed opportunity.