The Girl Before by JP Delaney

As a biologist, I have always been obsessed with David Attenborough TV shows, ever since I was two years old. One of the creatures that fascinated me the most, was the shark. Sharks are very ancient animals and have remained pretty much the same for millions of years. Why? Because they are so successful. Life always takes the easiest route, and if there is no environmental pressure to drive change, then it won't. Despite them being extraordinary creatures, I was always a bit scared of sharks, as I am sure a lot of people are. But I soon learnt that, when in the water, its not the shark you can see that you need to be afraid of, its the one you can't see that you need to worry about. The one hiding in the murky waters right under your nose, just waiting for the perfect moment when your guard is down to pounce. The story of 'The Girl Before' by JP Delaney gives the reader the same uneasy feeling as floating in those murky waters would. You are aware of potential danger close by, but maybe that was not what you needed to worry about. Maybe there is something far worse much closer, hiding in plain sight. In this story we follow the parallel tales of Jane and Emma. These women are very similar, both have the same coloured hair, the same build, the same men in their life and both have a dark secret that haunts them constantly, cruelly holding them back when they try to move on. As well as this, both are living in the same house; an extreme minimalistic home, with a slightly eerie atmosphere intertwined in its beautiful features. Both women went there for a fresh start, a chance to escape the cage of their past, but both also sense that the house itself might also be haunted by a dark secret. There is one significant difference between these two women though; one of them is dead. We learn about her story from beyond the grave, just as the other woman learns it too. This new woman, our main protagonist, now fears for her own life too, as if learning about the girl before is a premonition of her own future. Soon, the home that she thought was her escape from her own past appears to be sealing in her fate. As the reader, you are forced to ask yourself the questions that the main protagonist keeps asking herself throughout; why me? what could this other girl and myself also have in common that could lead me into the same fate that she faced? In order to work out what is happening in this very strange situation, the reader must find the answers to these questions, just as she does. The author, JP Delaney, very subtly drip-feeds the answers to these questions to the reader, by gradually shedding light on key elements from the mystery of the girl before's death, just as the exact same series of events appears to happen to this new girl. The reader is poised at the edge of their seat, willing for her to realise the truth the split second after they have had the epiphany themselves. But will she? What is most clever about this story is the way that it takes advantage of the reader's own cognitive processes and leads you down a rabbit hole, leaving you strongly believing that one theory must be true and must be the only plausible explanation for the girl before's death. JP Delaney clearly has a very good understanding of the human mind and plays into this very well. The reader is left with a better understanding of their own psyche and a realisation of how, if you really want to believe something to have happened, or for someone to be guilty, then you yourself will twist every piece of evidence to fit your theory, even if nothing actually confirms it. It is this same phenomenon that makes rumours or 'Chinese Whispers' so problematic, and also why what you perceived to be imminently dangerous may not necessarily be what you needed to be afraid of.