Before and Again
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Published by: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: June 4, 2019
Pages: 416
ISBN13: 978-1250125163
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Synopsis
Mackenzie Cooper does not want to be who she was – the one who was driving and had her eyes on her phone just long enough to cause an accident that resulted in the loss of her adored daughter, her family and friends, and ultimately her marriage. Thanks to the nonstop media coverage, she lost her privacy as well. Fleeing that past, she now lives in Vermont under the name Maggie Reid, in a small house with her cats and dog. She’s thankful for the new friends she’s made—though she can’t risk telling them too much. And she while she was once a successful sculptor, she is now a makeup artist at the luxurious local spa, helping clients hide the visible outward signs of their weariness, illnesses, and injuries. Covering up scars is a skill she has mastered. Her only goal is to stay under the radar and make it through her remaining probation. But she isn’t the only one in this peaceful town with secrets. When a friend’s teenage son is thrust into the national spotlight, accused of hacking a powerful man’s Twitter account, Maggie is torn between pulling away and protecting herself, or stepping into the glare to be at their side. As the stunning truth behind their case is slowly revealed, Maggie’s own carefully constructed story begins to unravel as well. As the past inexorably seeps back into her life, her future is suddenly at stake – not only her career, her physical freedom, and her new home, but her relationships with the brother who was too frightened to stand by her before, with the mother who chose to turn away to survive, and with the only man she has ever truly loved. Before and Again is a story of the relationships we find ourselves in—mothers and daughters, spouses and siblings, true companions and fair-weather friends—and the courage it takes to sustain them.
Backstory
I’ve worn makeup since I was 19. Over the years, it has made my eyes look larger, my cheeks more bronzed, by nose slimmer. When I’m made up, I feel more like the person I want to be. Same with the main character in Before And Again. But makeup isn’t where I started with Maggie. I started with the deep, dark fear any mother has of losing a child. Maggie does. For the sake of the story, I let her lose her family and marriage as well. How to survive all that? Different people do different things, and I considered many of those. In the end, I had Maggie move to a new place, take a new name, and start a new life. Originally a sculptor, she becomes a makeup artist. She gets up every morning and puts on her makeup, becoming the person she wants to see, rather than the one she is. Is this honest? No. And there is fallout when the past rears its head in certain unstoppable ways. But we’re human, y’know? We do what we can to survive. And we grow, always grow. Isn’t that what survival is about?
Praise
“A tale about surmounting life’s most difficult moments and finding hope when one least –d expects it.”
–Kirkus Reviews
“This is a rewarding, emotionally intense novel.”
–Publishers Weekly
“Delinsky perfectly portrays the temptations of starting over.”
–Booklist
“With beautiful descriptions of Vermont and character development so raw, you feel as if you’re in the story yourself.”
–In Literary Love
This book offers many life lessons … along with a dramatic story woven through … the choices we make every day.”
–Sincerely, Stacie
“Delinsky likes a challenge, taking the contemporary story of a woman facing grave and difficult circumstances … and making it stand head and shoulders above the crowd of other books with modern-day heroines.”
–Book Reporter
“This is a great story that has lots of topics to consider – forgiveness, grief, family media. Very character driven – I couldn’t put it down.”
–My Crazy Book Addiction
“I could not pu this book down once I picked it up. Not only was the message wonderful, but I loved ll of the characters and the setting of Devon.”
–CMA Reads
“You will need Kleenex. You will cry. Not a “maybe” you will cry but a definite “yes” you will cry.”
–Read With Me
“I am still thinking about this book days after I have finished. Barbara Delinsky is one of the greatest women’s fiction writers out there, and this is the perfect summer read to pick up as you leave for vacation.”
–Kentucky Book Lover
“Before and Again is my first book by Barbara Delinsky but it won’t be my last! What a gripping, beautifully written, poignant novel!”
–Steph’s Fiction