A compelling, moving tale of a love affair, set in the East End during World War 1 and inspired by an unforgettable true story A great war. A powerful love. An impossible choice. I think the war is everywhere: in the rain, in the river, in the grey air that we breathe. It is a current that runs through all of us. You can't escape the current; either you swim with it, or you go under. 1916. Across the channel, the Great War rages; in London's East End, with her husband away fighting, Hannah Loxwood struggles to hold everything together. But when Hannah takes a job in a cafe, she discovers a glimpse of freedom away from her needy young children, her spiteful sister and desperately ill father. While the conflict drags on, Hannah battles with the overwhelming burden of 'duty'. She has sacrificed so much for a husband who left her behind, a husband who may never come home. Then, when she meets Daniel - thoughtful, intelligent, quietly captivating - Hannah finds herself faced with the most dangerous of temptations ...As the war grips tighter and bombs fall down upon the streets, the stakes for the couple grow ever higher. Soon Hannah and Daniel will realise just how precarious their happiness is, as their destiny rushes towards them ...Beautifully wrought, utterly compelling and with a twist that will leave you breathless, Before The Fall, inspired by a true story, hurls you into a London torn apart by the First World War and paints a vivid and haunting portrait of one woman's struggle.
Before the Fall is as poignant as it is powerful. With tremendous sensitivity and insight, Juliet West explores the consequences of private lives engulfed by the public catastrophe of war. At the same time, nothing diminishes the force of her storytelling. Her characters - including London's East End itself - are unforgettable. - Alison MacLeod, author of the Booker Longlisted: Unexploded
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed Before The Fall. Juliet West has created some wonderfully believable characters and her descriptions of London are breath-taking! I have not read a book that brings the sense of time and place to life as well as this one does. I was living and breathing the war years in London. But it's the love story at the centre of the book that will stay with me ... This is a wonderful book, intelligent, wise, and full of passion and courage. I absolutely loved it and I can't praise it highly enough. I would recommend Before The Fall to anyone who is looking for a superb read, a page-turning drama that's exactly of its time, and a story and characters that will stay in the mind long after the book is finished. - Louise Douglas, Bestselling author
Author
About Juliet West
Juliet West worked as a journalist before taking an MA in Creative Writing at Chichester University, where she won the Kate Betts' Memorial Prize. Before The Fall, her debut novel, was shortlisted for the Myriad Editions novel writing competition in 2012. Juliet also writes short stories and poetry, and won the H E Bates short story prize in 2009. She lives in West Sussex with her husband and three children.