Thursday, November 10, 2022

Between Before and After by Jessica Stilling- Review


Between Before and After by Jessica Stilling
Between Before and After by Jessica Stilling

Publisher: DX Varos Publishing (November 8, 2022)
Category: General Fiction, Literary Fiction, Family Secrets
Tour Dates November 1-23
ISBN: 978-1955065665
Available in Print and ebook, 479 (or less) pages

  Between Before and After

Description Between Before and After by Jessica Stilling


Indie movie director Sebastian Foster has found his niche making movies based on the award-winning novels written by his estranged mother. However, his latest film, based loosely on the tragic death of his sister as a child, opens up old wounds best left under bandages.

Told in two concurrent timelines, now and when Sebastian was a teen, some twenty years ago in the mid-1990s, this story of learning unknown truths unwinds in the streets of Paris, where Sebastian lived as a teen and where he has returned to make his picture.


Review Between Before and After by Jessica Stilling

A masterful novel from Jessica Stilling, and one that I know I will be thinking about for a long time to come. 'Between Before and After,' is a story about an director who intends to make a movie about the toughest time in his life, and the consequences of what happened that day.

Sebastian Foster was only 14 years-old when he lost his younger sister. Lucy was only five years-old, herself when a disastrous fire consumed the family's apartment on the 6th arrondissement in Paris.

Now, almost 3 decades later, Sebastian wishes to direct a movie based on the book that his mother wrote about the fire. Regina Foster has become a very successful novelist in the time since her daughter's death, but she and Sebastian no longer speak. Despite this, Sebastian has been making movies based off of her novels for years, and this has led to success on his own part. But exploring the incident that killed his sister may be too much for Sebastian, as it begins to bring up emotions and trauma from that time.

What secrets does this family hold, and what do they have to do with the fire? These are questions that are answered in the book, and in ways that I truly was not expecting. I found myself so intrigued by this book that I had trouble putting it down and ended up reading the whole thing in one night.

This is a gripping reading adventure that will leave you wishing it was just a little bit longer so that it wouldn't have to end so soon. Stilling's writing and grasp of plotting are impeccable. I can't remember the last time I read a book that I enjoyed this much! If you want a book with a fantastically deep plots, this is the book for you! 

Praise for Jessica Stilling


Bronx Council of the Arts Chapter One Award for The Beekeeper’s Daughter

“Stilling’s take on this familiar tale is provocative and poignant, rich with emotion and powerfully described, laced with profound contemplation about dying too soon and growing up too quickly.”- Publisher’s Weekly review of Betwixt and Between

“At turns happy and unbearably sad, Betwixt and Between is a beautifully realized re-imagining of a classic story that will enchant readers as the original did.”- Booklist starred review of Betwixt and Between

“A suspenseful read. Jessica Stilling sets the story among a backdrop of stunning scenes of Greece described as being almost visceral with a unique compilation of romance, mystery, and self-inspection. A compelling story that comes to life off the page.”-San Francisco Book Review of the Weary God of Ancient Travelers


Between Before and After by Jessica Stilling

About Jessica Stilling

Jessica Stilling has written three works of literary fiction, Betwixt and Between, The Beekeeper’s Daughter, and The Weary God of Ancient Travelers. She also wrote poetry and short fiction for various literary journals.


Her articles have appeared in Ms. Magazine, Bust Magazine and she writes extensively for The Writer Magazine. She has taught Creative Writing in both high school and university. She also publishes young adult fantasy under the pen name JM Stephen.

Jessica loves Virginia Woolf, very long walks, and currently lives in southern Vermont where she writes for the very local newspaper, The Deerfield Valley News.

Website: https://www.jessicastilling.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JessicaStilling
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessica.sticklor

Preorder Between Before and After by Jessica Stilling

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Giveaway Between Before and After by Jessica Stilling

This giveaway is for 3 print or ebook copies. Print is open to the U.S. only and ebook is open worldwide. This giveaway ends on November 24, 2022 midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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2 comments:

  1. I am so glad you enjoyed 'Between Before and After'!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your review was so touching. I wish Between Before and After could be longer as well. I loved living with Sebastian and company. I did write a follow up novel that peaks into Sebastian's life after the pandemic. I'm not going to publish it, but I will be putting it up on my website for free in a couple of weeks.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comment. It is very important to me. Know that while I might not reply directly to your comment every time, I certainly read it and appreciate it.