Review for Before Now Was Now by Angela Waters

There aren’t many books I can think of with a better title than Before Now Was Now. The words encapsulate not only the elements of time travel that drive the plot. They accentuate the main character’s current state compared to the “before.”

Description drives the novel. How the protagonist, Rae, views the world, particularly the past when she’s there, is brought to life through the author’s metaphorical pen. The setting for each scene is both visual and visceral without feeling overdone. Even before reading the blurb about the person behind the story, a reader can tell that this is an area they know well. The system for how characters actually time travel in this world should be commended also. I don’t think I’ve encountered anything else like it, in literature or in other media. With how much content I consume, that’s really saying something.

A few small inconsistencies kept me from pushing this up to a “Must Read,” but it was close. Characters, especially the ones driving the story, can and should change over the course of it. However, changing personality or traits key to those characters can lead to confusion or even almost a sense of betrayal from the reader. Rae is happily not static, but I lost the feel of her at a few points in the middle. Time travel, especially the rules and tropes surrounding it, can create a hard balancing act between voyeurism and real agency from a character. The presence of slang, while used right, is also not consistent and doesn’t start getting sprinkled in much until halfway through. Instead of enhancing, the sudden appearance was more jarring for me.

Because of time travel being such an integral part of the story, I kept expecting Before Now Was Now to feel more like a science fiction novel. As long as potential readers understand this is more coming of age or drama centric, this should be a very enjoyable read.

Before Now Was Now is available to buy on Amazon.