That Was Then

A revenge story morphs into a wider-scope thriller as That Was Then explores some of the shadier sides of politics with a fictional lens. Identical twins had largely done everything possible together until college, the wedge of separation only growing bigger after a terrible thing happens to one. Even as the novel increases in scope, it's that bond between the sisters and a few of the supporting characters willing to actually support them who ground the narrative.

The author drops the reader into the deep end from the start, with a very visceral portrayal of the aftermath of a rape. It's rough, especially with the first person point of view, but is honestly one of the best depictions I've ever seen or read covering the immediate issues after such a life-changing event. Unfortunately mirroring what happens all too often, she doesn't seek help outside some family or press charges and even lies to cover things up due to threats. Eight years later, she's in a better mindset to do something more.

That Was Then starts and spends most of its time in first person from Andrea's perspective. For the rest, there are two different third-person limited viewpoints used as well: that of her twin, and of her rapist. The latter one's inclusion did impact why I rated this novel the way I did, for three reasons. Some of his chapters are a lot more intimate than I'd want to get with someone who did what he did. At times, those chapters felt like the story was trying to make him feel relatable or even attempt to excuse a little bit what he did. Ultimately though, the scenes from his point of view didn't really add to the suspense but detracted, also turning shadow movers in the political machine into something cartoonish.

A few other issues kept this from being a higher rating as well. Time skips were often buried within larger portions of text and easy to miss. The overlapping points of view led to some redundancy, down to even the wording, and suffered on continuity a few times. While not plentiful, there were also enough typos in key parts of the story to interrupt flow.

Andrea's journey and the emotional connection the author is able to build with that character from chapter one made me invested enough to weather through until the end. Despite some problems I personally had with the narrative, the payoff was definitely worth it. Readers who enjoy thrillers, especially ones with a political flavor, will find That Was Then well worth reading.