The Girl Before - J P Delaney

I picked it up after the BBC adaptation was announced and I wanted to get to the book before I got to the TV version. I am glad I did. Its been a while since I raced through a book and I finished this in two settings.

About the story:

Emma finds a property of a lifetime when she stumbles on this modern house in London. Jane also feels lucky to have got this place to rent despite a weird set of dos and dont's. There is a shocking parallel as both women fall in love with the landlord and soon it feels like there is something more to Edward Monkford other than just an eccentric architect.

My review:

• The story starts off with a bang in a voice that reels you in. Loved how the author has captured two distinct voices. Even though it is easy to detect the pattern, you can tell which character is narrating the story. Very smoothly done.

• The two women are mirrored quite well and yet their circumstances are so different. It was interesting to see how the two narratives would blend. The pacing is great as reader races through the story to get to the end.  

• The story is not only fast paced but also has a heart. It operates as a racy story on one level but then it has themes and motives that are carefully embedded into the story, taking the reader by surprise. A cracking read. 

TV adaptation:

Since I had just finished the novel before watching the series, it was easy to see how the screenplay had been adapted for the 4 hour series. Some minor tweaks worked well. However, the TV adaptation portrays Emma's character completely different towards the end. It is hard to say anything without divulging the plotline but suffice to say I like the Emma in the book better. Plus the character of the Jane has an arc in the book which is missing in the screen Jane. However, credit where it is due, they have retained the ending which explains the title, which was something that truly elevates the book in my opinion.

 

Totally enjoyed this book. I am off to check out his backlist now.