REVIEW: THE GIRL BEFORE

Until it is no longer perfect...

I'd been curious about this story ever since seeing the trailer for the HBO adaptation and when the audiobook went on sale, I just had to pick it up. After having saved it for a bit, I finally dove into this contemporary thriller.

HOW I RATED IT 

4/5 Fast pacing and unsettling atmosphere kept me hooked as I learned more about all of the characters and worried about what will happen to them. I could have done without some of the more explicit content and wish the end twists were a little more sophisticated.

CHARACTERS

The story follows two POV characters: Emma Matthews and Jane Cavendish. Emma's story takes place in the past and we learn very early on into the story that she has actually died at One Folgate St, allegedly due to a fall down the precarious staircase. Jane's chapters take place in the present as she tries to make a new life in the high-tech minimalist building and starts to piece together what really became of Emma Mathews. Incidentally, we learn that both of these women look alike (with dark brown hair, pale skin, and blue eyes), both were drawn to live in the strange house, both suffered tragic personal events that have rattled them to their core, and both engage in a passionate affair with the building's enigmatic architect, Edward Monkford. It's not exactly a love triangle situation considering that the events play out on different timelines, but the way we see the relationship each of the main characters has with Edward develop has a rather unique sort of tension to it. I appreciated that despite certain similarities between Emma and Jane, they are two very different characters (this only becomes more apparent the longer the story goes on). I was equally pleased that they are not exactly what you might initially expect, though this was so much the case that I ended up really disliking one of them. Edward, for his part, remained largely as mysterious to me as he was to the main characters. For much of the story it's unclear whether or not he might be the villain and that uncertainty as to who he really is and what he might or might not do compelled me through the story. Less compelling was how gross some of the "relationship" content was between Edward and one of the women. I mean, was it really necessary for one of them to call him "Daddy?" I think there was enough to indicate the relationship was controlling and somewhat toxic already without this gross little thing thrown in there. There are, of course, various side characters that pop in and out of the story. Each adds a layer of intrigue to the overarching plot, but only a couple of them are particularly interesting in their own right. 

PLOT/TONE

As with any good thriller, this novel absolutely nails setting an overall tone of unease throughout the entirety of the story. At first, the tension comes from learning about the personal tragedies that have brought both women to a moment in their lives where they need a new place to live. For Emma, this was a home break-in, the details of which evolve over the duration of her arc and end up becoming a very important component to her side of the story. In the present, Jane has recently recovered from a stillbirth miscarriage (meaning she had to give birth to a fully formed infant that she knew was already dead). Then things shift into more bizarre territory as they each tour the house at One Folgate St. and learn about all the crazy rules and stipulations that come with leasing it. The situation gets even weirder when each of them meet Mister Monkford and initiate their respective "unencumbered" relationships with him. The fact that Emma is dead by the events of the present day leads to some light "whodunnit" elements in Jane's chapters while also creating tension around Emma's since we are left to wonder what circumstances could have led her to such a dramatic end. Adding to the drama for both perspectives is that we get some context which neither of the characters have. Edward repeats certain phrases to both of them word-for-word in a way that seems pretty psychotic. There also are clues that one woman finds which the other would not have knowledge of. This creates a certain dramatic irony where the reader is painfully aware of the creepy factor when it comes to Edward and frankly, these women should have been as well since there's plenty of red flags (not least of all the fact that he's their landlord and has the power kick them out of their home), but it's also easy to see why, in their tumultuous emotional states, they may think it's a good idea to indulge in something/someone who's a little bit... different. As expected, things all escalate to a boiling point at the end and really get wild. I kind of wished some of the final revelations were a little less reliant on the "people are crazy" sort of twist. The end revelations are pretty dramatic, but I would have preferred something a little more complex and mind-boggling. I don't really get around to reading all that many contemporary thrillers, so I don't have much to compare it to. I just felt as though the way things ended were a little expected even if they were still somewhat shocking in their execution. That said, I was pretty impressed with something relating to Jane's final chapters. 

SETTING/WORLD

As this is a contemporary thriller, the setting is just the regular world we live in, set roughly in our present day. Specifically, the story takes place in London, but the majority of the plot really centers around the bizarre house on One Folgate St. This made it almost so that the story could really have taken place anywhere and been roughly the same, but the way the characters talk is distinctly British and there are aspects of the UK's Healthcare and Justice systems which play an important role in both character's stories. I liked the bits of London that the story took us to, but the main attraction is definitely the house that Emma and Jane rent out. The way it is described made me almost think of an architectural take on modern art. The stark minimalism in the decor, the hard lines, the prioritization of elegance over comfort, the electronic security, and the automated health assessments that residents must participate in created an image in my head that was both beautiful and terrible at the same time. We're told right away that the house has been known to break people. Sometimes residents who have only stayed in it for a month or two find themselves unable to continue living there, though we are led to wonder if it is really the house or it's architect who drove them out. Because the story spends so much time here, enough to where the house almost becomes a character of it's own, I'm glad it proved to be such a strangely fascinating stage for the drama to unfold upon.  

AUDIOBOOK

The audio quality for this book is top notch. This is one of those cases where the audio performances neither add to nor detract from the story being told and instead just serve as a perfect compliment to it. Jane and Emma each get their own narrator which felt like a really nice way to separate out their stories. I also just find that narrator switches help hold my attention better than books that have a singular performance. The narrator for Emma's chapters deserves special praise for pulling off some of the more difficult and aggravating parts of her story and character. In addition to these two leads, there are two additional voice talents which have very minor parts, but their inclusion made for a really nice touch. I always appreciate when audiobooks put attention and care into the little details without overdoing it. Like the house in the story, this audiobook is beautifully constructed and free of any clutter. 

CONCLUSION

As someone who doesn't read a ton within this genre, it's hard to say how it compares to other books like GONE GIRL or THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN (which I haven't read). With that said, I really enjoyed this story even if it wasn't perfect in my eyes. My biggest caution to prospective readers would be that there are a lot of rather explicit moments, so I would be weary of this one unless you are into that.

(+) Fast pacing

(+) Emma, Jane, and Edward made for compelling leads

(+) One Folgate is a fascinating building

(+) A deeply unsettling atmosphere

(+) Excellent audio production with two great leads and two additional voice talents

(+) An explosive ending

(-) The sexual content is a bit much 

(-) I was hoping the big reveals at the end would be a little more mind-boggling than they were