Jessica Stilling

Between Before and After is as unique in story form as a Title. However, the Title is very fitting, as is the Book Cover.

This story fluctuates between a family's life in 1994 and the present time. It is a heartrending tale of a dysfunctional family existence disrupted further by a tragedy that tore the family apart. It is the struggles of a boy and his mother as well as these of the boy's best friend and his family. In the mix, his new budding relationship with a young girl was also gravely affected.

This is a story of secrets revealed, grieving, romance, and true-to-life dysfunctional home lives. It is also a story of overcoming tragedy and moving on. However, it is also a story of being stuck in time and its damaging effects.

The story was very interesting, although slightly predictable. The writing, at times, left the reader slightly confused about the time frame. Mostly, though, it was well-written and brought the reader "into the story". The Characters felt very real. The various scenes were easily visualized.

I did not like the weak ending. It was very vague and incomplete. If a "shock effect" was meant, it truly failed.

There were several words of profanity and several "F" bombs" For this reason, I do not recommend it to YA.

I offer a weak Four-Stars rating.

This book was gifted me with no pressure to post a positive review. This is my honest review.… (mais)

When only a taunt, engaging mystery will do, choose "Between Before and After". Set in Paris, the City of Light, Sebastian, a film director returns to the place of his teenage years to film his mother's latest novel. Even though he has been estranged from her, Sebastian has been following her works and producing films based on them. This novel has special meaning for him, since he is trying to discover what really happened to his young 5-year-old sister all those years ago. He has even gone so far as to buy the old apartment, where his family lived, and recreate the exact furniture in it.
Along the way, he visits his old girlfriend and meets an old schoolfriend of his mother, Regina. Pierre is now a powerful banker, married to a doctor, Marie. They have a son together, Marcel, who used to deal in drugs and got Sebastian involved in shady activities.
As the story unfolds, we see all most of the characters are despicable people with many secrets and lies, especially Pierre and his family. Pierre attempts to blackmail Sebastian by pulling funding from his movie project. Marie is under investigation and Marcel is still dealing with his drug problems. Sebastian's mother also seems to be hiding lots from her son. Only his old girlfriend wants to help.
This story will keep you on the edge of your seat as you follow Sebastian's hunt for the truth and a surprise ending. I especially liked the setting and its descriptions, as well as all the deception of the characters.… (mais)

Betwixt And Between by Jessica Stilling is a beautifully written book that uses the Peter Pan legend to explain where little boys go when they die. Neverland becomes their temporary home until both they and their grieving loved ones are ready to let them go. This is a story that unfolds on many levels as we read of the death of Preston at the hands of a deranged killer, the grieving process that his parents, Claire and Matthew, work through, the solving of Preston’s murder, and the author also delves into the original Peter Pan story and gives us her version of how Wendy Darling came to Neverland.

These many different story threads are distinct and easy to follow. Both emotionally draining and uplifting this was a unique and interesting way to explore the themes of loss, grief and redemption. I thought this using of Neverland as an in-between place with Peter Pan as the immortal ferryman was a clever and original idea that actually enhances the myth. All the familiar characters are here, Tinkerbelle, Captain Hook, the Lost Boys, the Mermaids and Indians, but each has their own role in the author’s vision of Neverland.

Betwixt And Between was a one-of-a-kind read and one of the most individualistic renditions of another literary masterpiece that I have read. The author’s embodiment of this legend reveals her rich imagination and produced a book that I will long remember.… (mais)