Before the Fall

Noah Hawley is an exceptional writer, well-known for his work on the television series “Fargo”, which I loved particularly for its nuanced, memorable characters. In “Before the Fall” Hawley brings that same skill in character development to the novel, introducing a wide cast of individuals, each distinct and vividly portrayed. Some characters are more deeply explored than others, but every one of them feels fully realized, thanks to Hawley’s deft handling of internal dialogue and sharp, often biting, external exchanges. At its core, “Before the Fall” is an astute examination of the world we live in—a society where the wealthy hold unimaginable privilege, where the media shapes and manipulates reality to fit a narrative meant to entertain rather than inform. Hawley peels back the layers of how fame, attention, and money corrupt not just individuals but the broader social fabric, leading to a chillingly accurate reflection of modern life. The novel forces the reader to confront the fact that, though we might seek fame and fortune, they inevitably come at a heavy price. What I particularly enjoyed about “Before the Fall” was the ending. After exploring all the complexities of power, wealth, and media influence, Hawley reminds us of the randomness of fate. Despite everything, we are still vulnerable to the whims of chance. This novel is not only a gripping page-turner but also a thought-provoking look at the world around us.

The writing is good. But it only contains about 40 pages of suspense. It is really a 350-page lesson in character development. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good character development. It’s a peculiar mystery/suspense in that it doesn’t truly explore “why” the airplane crash happened or the “whodunit” except as a matter of character background of each person who boarded the airplane. Only one passenger, in my opinion, had a real reason to inspire sabotage or create a suicide mission, the money launderer, Kipling. The majority of the book was interesting until it got to the ending. Then I thought, “You’re kidding. Really? That’s what we’re supposed to believe prompted the event?” I didn’t really believe the reason for the crash, nor the outcome as it pertained to Eleanor, the sister of Maggie Bateman—who died in the crash along with her husband and daughter. Although I would really hope Eleanor would have such courage (to kick her husband out), I’m not sure that action is true to the character we got to know. The blurb describes it rather well. A media mogul (David Bateman) and his wife (Maggie), daughter (Rachel), and son (JJ) board a private jet from Martha’s Vineyard back to New York. On the day of the flight, Maggie invited Sarah at the farmer’s market to join them on the flight along with her banker husband Ben Kipling rather than boarding the ferry and making the long drive back into the city. As we find out later, Ben Kipling is involved in money laundering with Iran and North Korea. Maggie also invited a starving artist, Scott Burroughs, to join them. Maggie met Scott in Martha’s Vineyard. She had taken her children to see his paintings at the place he rented. Mostly, Maggie viewed the paintings while her children played because the subject matter of natural disaster might not be entirely appropriate for such young, sheltered children. The only other people on the flight were the stewardess, pilot, co-pilot, and the Bateman’s body guard, whom they hired because nine-year-old Rachel Bateman had already been kidnapped once. When it is determined the plane was in working order, the background of every passenger and crew member is explored at length to determine if any of them had reason to want to crash the plane or inspire someone else to crash it.

This book was an interesting read - some parts were a bit predictable but overall I enjoyed the story.

I NEVER read the ends of books first, but this book tempted me to do just that because I was so anxious to find out what was going to happen. This is a masterfully told story that weaves together different storylines to give you a glimpse into each character’s life. Amazing book, you will not be disappointed.

I loved the story line and it is so well written that it just holds your attention . I could wait to read what came next . It ended the way I had hoped it would .

The suspense is carried throughout the book, without giving away the ending, which was delightful. It's not often that I read a book that's not predictable, and this one was not. I enjoyed to overall plot of individuals thrown together randomly, but all working toward the outcome. The "hero" is understated, human, and charming, especially with his uncertainty of how to interact with other characters. It is definitely a page-turner, and I, willingly, lost sleep to see what happened next.