The Girl Before: A Novel
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THE GLOBAL BESTSELLER • Soon to be a BBC One and HBO Max limited four-part series, starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw (The Morning Show; Misbehaviour) and multiple Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Emmy-nominated actor David Oyelowo (Selma; Les Misérables) “A pitch-perfect novel of psychological suspense” (Lee Child) that spins one woman’s seemingly good fortune, and another woman’s mysterious fate, through a kaleidoscope of duplicity, death, and deception Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life. The request seems odd, even intrusive—and for the two women who answer, the consequences are devastating. EMMA Reeling from a traumatic break-in, Emma wants a new place to live. But none of the apartments she sees are affordable or feel safe. Until One Folgate Street. The house is an architectural masterpiece: a minimalist design of pale stone, plate glass, and soaring ceilings. But there are rules. The enigmatic architect who designed the house retains full control: no books, no throw pillows, no photos or clutter or personal effects of any kind. The space is intended to transform its occupant—and it does. JANE After a personal tragedy, Jane needs a fresh start. When she finds One Folgate Street she is instantly drawn to the space—and to its aloof but seductive creator. Moving in, Jane soon learns about the untimely death of the home’s previous tenant, a woman similar to Jane in age and appearance. As Jane tries to untangle truth from lies, she unwittingly follows the same patterns, makes the same choices, crosses paths with the same people, and experiences the same terror, as the girl before. Praise for The Girl Before “Dazzling, startling, and above all cunning—a pitch-perfect novel of psychological suspense.”—Lee Child “The Girl Before generates a fast pace. . . . [J. P.] Delaney intersperses ethics questions on stand-alone pages throughout the book. . . . The single most ingenious touch is that we’re not provided either woman’s answers.”—The New York Times “J. P. Delaney builds the suspense.”—Vanity Fair “Immediate guarantee: You will not be able to put this book down. . . . Fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will realize that there’s not only more where that came from, but it’s also more thrilling.”—American Booksellers Association
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And just like that, I have found another favorite author! This book was so different from anything I've read before and it was definitely my first ever “smart-house thriller”. I have also understood that I will be reading more in this trope soon, because I absolutely loved it. There were so many twists and turns and even after I thought the twists and turns were all revealed and everything was finished, I was mistaken because then the biggest reveal of all came. I wasn't sure what I was going to give this book but the ending especially blew me away and I couldn't stop reading late into the night for the life of me. I will be reading this author's backlist and pre-ordering all his future works as well.
To begin with, The Girl Before is about this minimalist-style house that is only rented to tenants the architect approves before hand. The girl, Jane, moves into the unique building and starts discovering terrifying things about the place and what happened to the previous girl who lived here, Emma. I thought this was a very unique premise and I loved how it was delivered. The ending was extremely fast paced and exhilarating but there wasn't a moment when I found myself bored either, because things were revealed constantly, even minor things. Most chapters ended on a cliffhanger and I loved that, especially considering the chapters were rather short and went between the previous tenant, Emma, and what was happening in the present day with Jane now living there instead. The plot had so many different layers and I really enjoyed pealing them one by one, absolutely extraordinary.
Secondly, the characterization was amazing as well. We really got to see into the psyches of these two characters, Emma in the past, and Jane in the present. We really delved deep into their minds and got to know exactly what happened inside that unique structure and what caused them to end up in that exact moment. They were flawed and complicated and even though I felt like I understood them, somewhat, ultimately what they did surprised me because oftentimes people are too complicated to be easily predictable. That made the story even more believable and absolutely memorable to me.
Finally, the writing was great. There were times when I would have wished more dialogue was used instead of us just being given a description of who said what and what the other person answered but ultimately I had no problem getting used to that style and it was almost a breath of fresh air and definitely something different and exciting. I am all for venturing out and trying new things and I am glad I gave this book a chance and have discovered a hidden gem of an author in the process. Can't wait to read more of his work!
In conclusion, I would recommend this book to everyone who loves thrillers, especially the unconventional ones that don't follow a specific formula but play to the beat of their own drum. This was by far one of the most unique thrillers I have read so far and I have no doubt it will stand out in my mind for a long time to come. I applaud an author trying something different, a new approach to a very standard concept, something that's been around for a long time.
