Before the Fall

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley, 391 pages

On a short trip from Martha's Vineyard to New York City, a private plane crashes, killing 9 of the 11 people on board, including the head of a Fox News-esque cable network and his family, a financial bigwig in deep trouble, and the three-member crew. The only survivors are a four-year-old boy and a penniless painter, who was invited along at the last moment and isn't entirely sure why he was on the plane in the first place. While the painter's story takes place in real time (and is interspersed with chapters focusing on a Bill O'Reilly-esque character), the rest of the story is told in chapters focused on each of the deceased. While I like the way the book unfolds through alternating foci and the story is certainly gripping, I felt like it fell short of its potential for twists and turns. That said, it's still a compelling book, and is well worth the long wait.