Before
by Joseph Hurka
Published by St. Martin's Press
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Reviewed by Diane A Brown
A troubled mind full of snarled webs can be treacherous. Are the voices and visions real or just imagined? Where will they lead and whose life will they ensnare? It was in a small neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts, on a poorly lit street that an uninvited stranger crept, unnoticed. Will the unsuspecting residents get more than they bargained for? Who is truly safe or just unaware? The answers are elusive.
Tika is a budding photographer, young and full of exuberance. She has become attached to an older couple in her apartment building. Juri, the husband, is recovering from a stroke and having difficulty adjusting to his current limitations. Wife Anna attempts to care for him alone, but appreciates Tika's helpfulness.
Juri is plagued with vivid images of the past, as he struggles with memories of the Nazi invasion. His losses were so great they still rip at his heart. He tries diligently to separate these events from current reality but waivers back and forth. Writing...he is always writing down what he remembers. The doctor says it is good for him, so he tries. But the memories bring unbearable pain and tears fall unbidden.
The residue of Ghost-man's deplorable youth still lingers, triggered by the simplest of things. He fights with his own inner demons and recollections as well, but they are more recent. Tragedies of the Gulf War were experienced in a gruesome and personal way, adding to the well of sorrow and pains from the past. His special training was meticulous and careful--but also deadly. When things don't go as planned, events spiral out of control and many lives are endangered.
Past and present collide and the results bring Tika, Juri and Ghost-man into a battle of wills, determination, and a triumph. But who will ultimately win the day?
Before is filled with vivid descriptions and emotions. However, the character's stories are so intermingled from past to present and back again they are at times difficult to follow, thus making the overall flow a bit bumpy. There is also a tad of explicit material that could be offensive.
Armchair Interviews says: Hurka's recent memoir, Fields of Light: A Son Remembers his Heroic Father, was a winner of the Pushcart Editors' Book Award and is now in paperback.