Before the Storm
Diane Chamberlain

Reviewed by Cynthia Murphy

Diane Chamberlain has been called “the Southern Jodi Picoult.”  This seems to be an apt description of her style.  In Before the Storm, she captures family turmoil and deep emotion with the same grace as Picoult.  But simply comparing the authors doesn’t do justice to either one.  Before the Storm is a beautifully written novel on its own.

Before the Storm tells the story of the Lockwood family.  The son, Andy, has Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.  He has average intelligence, but sees the world in very simplistic terms.  In contrast, his sister, Maggie, seems more mature than the average teenager.  Their mother, Laurel, is a recovering alcoholic.  She focuses much of her energy on coping with Andy’s problems.  Unfortunately, Laurel’s preoccupation with Andy has taken its toll on Maggie.  When Andy becomes a local hero after a fire, the Lockwoods’ lives spiral out of control.  The police begin to suspect that Andy started the fire.  Andy’s subsequent arrest leads to the revelation of several family secrets.  Apparently almost everyone in the book has a secret life. The ending is both surprising and not so surprising.  (You have to read the book to see what I mean.  I’m not supplying spoilers.)

This is a great book.  I truly did not want to put it down.  Some of the plot twists were not very surprising, but the twisted path that the characters take is more important than the individual incidents along the way.  Character seems to be key in this novel.  Chamberlain has created captivating characters. All of the characters are well-developed, even the seemingly minor ones.  Character is the driving force of the novel.  The plot is interesting, but the characters, especially Laurel, move the story along.