Criminals

Livesey, Margot. Criminals. Penguin Books (New York: 1995).

Criminals2Alternating points of view tell the story of an adult brother and sister who slide from rescuing a baby to taking her. The sleazy boyfriend of the true mother attempts to work the situation for a profit. The brother isn’t fully aware of his sister’s deceit, but has his own issues with an insider trading offense which he slipped into because of love. Criminality as potentially part of anyone’s nature. For writers: A solid example of using multiple points of view to increase tension and psychological insight, without sacrificing cohesion or clarity.



Before and After

Brown, Rosellen. Before and After. Farrar Straus Giroux (New York: 1992).

Before and AfterLife is transformed for the entire family of a 17-year-old boy who bludgeons his girlfriend to death. The father’s compulsion to protect his son is paramount for him, over truth or responsibility. The daughter is appalled by her father’s twisting of the truth, and her brother’s actions and lack of remorse. The mother testifies to her son’s having done the act, truly believing it was accidental. Somehow these characters manage to survive as a family without compromising how deeply different they are and how changed each of them become. For writers: Each point of view is told in alternating chapters, with penetrating emotional and psychological detail – an illustration of just how well this can be done.