Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Before This Is Over
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.amandahickie.com/
CITY: Sydney
STATE: NW
COUNTRY: Australia
NATIONALITY: Australian
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2017057430
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2017057430
HEADING: Hickie, Amanda
000 00705cz a2200193n 450
001 10443841
005 20170815145159.0
008 170504n| azannaabn |n aaa c
010 __ |a no2017057430
035 __ |a (OCoLC)oca10790961
040 __ |a ICrlF |b eng |e rda |c ICrlF |d DLC
053 _0 |a PR9619.4.H53
100 1_ |a Hickie, Amanda
370 __ |e Sydney (N.S.W.) |f Canada
372 __ |a Suspense fiction |2 lcsh
374 __ |a Authors |2 lcsh
375 __ |a Women |2 lcsh
377 __ |a eng
670 __ |a Hickie, Amanda. Before this is over, ©2017: |b t.p. (Amanda Hickie) About the author page (Amanda Hickie grew up in Sydney, Australia, moved to Canada in 2003 during the SARS outbreak, now lives in Sydney with her husband and two sons)
PERSONAL
Born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; married; children: two sons.
EDUCATION:Studied computer science and cognitive science.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Teacher.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Sydney, Australian native Amanda Hickie is a writer whose move to Toronto, Canada in 2003 during the SARS virus outbreak inspired her to write her two books, her self-published AfterZoe, and An Ordinary Epidemic, released in the United States and United Kingdom as Before This Is Over. Studying computer science and cognitive science in school, she has always had an interest in ethical issues. Hickie lives in Sydney with her husband and two sons.
In 2015, Hickey published AfterZoe, about a woman in the afterlife who bucks the trend and wants to change the bureaucratic rules designed to make her happy. A troubled soul in life, Zoe is even more discouraged by her death. She’s in a place of forced serenity and the requirement that residents forget their loved ones. She joins an underground resistance movement and takes up with an old lover, but things get complicated when her husband arrives in the afterlife. Perhaps the rules about losing their memories had some merit, but Zoe is still determined to have a happy eternity.
Hickey next published the tale of survival An Ordinary Epidemic in 2015, released in the U.S. under the name Before This Is Over in 2017. Based on events of the Toronto outbreak of SARS in 2003, but set in Sidney, Australia, the story follows suburbanite Hannah Halloran who is busy protecting her husband, Sean, and two children from the outbreak of the fictional Manba virus that began in Asia and has spread to Australia. Hannah, who is a cancer survivor, knows about preparedness in the face of devastating illness. First their city is quarantined, then their neighborhood, and finally their own home. Their water is shut off, then their power, and their food supply runs low. They are cut off from the Internet, cell phones, and neighbors. The family struggles to survive the virus as well as their relationships with each other as they spend time quarantined in their house with no contact with the outside world. “The emotional aspect of the book was what gripped me the most,” said a writer online at Thrill Link, and when people died in the book, added, “Real things happen throughout the entire book and that made it all the better to read.”
In an interview on the Clothesline Website, Hickie explained Hannah’s motivations to Lynette Washington: “At the start of the book she’s a little obsessive and cautious, but even so as the epidemic grows, she finds herself in situations, particularly situations to do with people, rather than how much food is in the pantry, that she hasn’t prepared for.” Hickie added that the inspiration for the book came not only from the SARS epidemic but also how it tied into Jonathan Swift’s book, A Journal of the Plague Years, in which “He’s listing exactly how many people died that week in a parish on the other side of London, while, at first at least, life went on as normal all around him,” noted Hickie.
A writer in Kirkus Reviews said that while Before This Is Over is a thriller with a sense of claustrophobia, overall there’s “no shortage of suspense in Hickie’s novel, but on a deep level, it lacks drive. Hannah is complex but a bit too sanctimonious.” According to a contributor to Publishers Weekly, “Hickie realistically depicts how isolation and the threat of disease affect one family.” Writing online at Keeper of Pages, a reviewer commented: “Who knew a book that took place mainly in one location could keep me gripped for its entirety. Before This Is Over is a silent thriller—the thrills aren’t right there in your face but they’re bubbling under the surface the whole time.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2017, review of Before This Is Over.
Publishers Weekly, January 2, 2017, review of Before This Is Over, p. 37.
ONLINE
Amanda Hickie Website, http://www.amandahickie.com (October 1, 2017), author profile.
Keeper of Pages, https://keeperofpages.wordpress.com/ (September 24, 2017), review of Before This Is Over.
Thrill Link, http://thrillink.com/ (May 2, 2017), review of Before This Is Over.*
Amanda Hickie
Bio
Amanda Hickie has always been interested in ethical questions,at the age of ten annoying her scripture teacher by asking if it was immoral to lie to a murderer. Despite a passion for writing, she studied Computer Science (but quickly recovered) and Cognitive Science.
A change of lifestyle when she and her family moved to Canada resulted in her first novel, AfterZoe. Living down the road from the SARS outbreak also provided the seed for her next novel, An Ordinary Epidemic, released by MidnightSun Publishing in May 2015.
The novel will be released in the US and UK in March 2017 under the title Before This Is Over.
Amanda lives a pleasant stroll from Coogee Beach in Sydney with her two computer oriented sons and husband and two non-computer oriented cats.
Email This
BlogThis!
Share to Twitter
Share to Facebook
Share to Pinterest
Home
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
Follow:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7828064.Amanda_Hickie Goodreads
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amanda-Hickie/591810057593898 Facebook
Pages:
News
Bio
Interviews
Contact
AfterZoe
Before This Is Over/An Ordinary Epidemic
Home
Blog Archive
▼ 2017 (17)
▼ September (1)
Review - Keeper of Pages
► August (5)
► July (6)
► June (1)
► March (3)
► January (1)
► 2016 (4)
► 2015 (7)
► 2014 (4)
Simple theme. Powered by Blogger.
Advertisers
Home
About The Clothesline
Adelaide Festivals
Reviews
Books
CDs
Children’s Books
DVDs
Movies
Interviews
Competitions
Contact Us
ADVERTISERS
Search...
HOME ADELAIDE FESTIVALS REVIEWS INTERVIEWS COMPETITIONS CONTACT US
BOOKS / EVENT / INTERVIEWS / MAY 7, 2015
“An Ordinary Epidemic” Is The Second Novel From Sydney Author Amanda Hickie – Book Interview
by Lynette Washington.
Amanda Hickie’s novel An Ordinary Epidemic is being launched by Adelaide’s MidnightSun Publishing this week. We chatted via email with Amanda about her novel, in which a deadly epidemic sweeps across the globe.
Amanda talks about falling off the ‘word wagon’, self-publishing her first book and her lifelong quest for answers to ethical dilemmas, but we start out by asking her to tell us about An Ordinary Epidemic.
“The novel follows a family in Sydney during an outbreak of a fictional disease, from the point of view of Hannah, the mother,” Amanda explains. “At the start of the book she’s a little obsessive and cautious, but even so as the epidemic grows, she finds herself in situations, particularly situations to do with people, rather than how much food is in the pantry, that she hasn’t prepared for.”
Where did the idea of writing a story about a deadly epidemic come from?
“Around 2002 I was living in Ottawa, in Canada when the SARS outbreak happened in Toronto and it all seemed so close. Even though everybody expected that it was just a matter of time until it spread to Ottawa, we all went on with our ordinary lives,” she says. “Around that time I read Jonathan Swift’s A Journal of the Plague Years and once you get past the archaic language, there’s that same feeling. He’s listing exactly how many people died that week in a parish on the other side of London, while, at first at least, life went on as normal all around him.
“I was in the middle of writing a different novel, so just put the idea aside. Six or seven years later, after I couldn’t get the first novel published, I decided that if I really was a writer, then I’d just have to keep writing. I sat down and made a list of every idea that had been floating around my head for years, and the epidemic was the one that grabbed me.”
An Ordinary Epidemic is rich with ethical dilemmas. Hannah is forced to make tricky decisions that challenge her ethics and her powerful desire to protect her family. What is it about this type of dilemma that interests you? An Ordinary Epidemic - Amanda Hickie - The Clothesline
“Not long after I started writing An Ordinary Epidemic I got involved as a volunteer teacher with the Primary School Ethics program here in NSW, but it was something I was always interested in,” Amanda explains. “I got kicked out of Scripture at school because the teacher thought I was being a smart alec. I kept asking questions like ‘if you know someone is going to murder someone else, is it ok to lie to the murderer about where they are?’ I suspect I was pretty annoying but I genuinely wanted to know! I didn’t know then cleverer people had been arguing about these things for centuries.
“But while I was teaching ethics to nine and ten year olds, something that I had already been thinking about became really clear to me, which was that concepts of absolute right and wrong take us only so far. The really interesting discussions come in the grey areas – is it ok to steal medicine to save someone’s life if there are no other options, and what are the consequences if you do? I think if we haven’t thought about our moral values at that level, we end up making gut decisions in the heat of the moment, and history and psychology tells us those are not always decisions to be proud of.”
You’ve been quoted as saying that you wanted to write about ‘family and joy’ and that you want to present an image of boys that challenges the stereotypes you often read. I think An Ordinary Epidemic certainly does that. There are lovely backyard soccer scenes, for example. Why were you interested in presenting this perspective on families and boys?
“The younger of my two kids is finishing high school this year so I’ve had lots of time to observe them and their friends. But one of the things I found most interesting was other parents. It’s so easy for us to fall into a ‘kids these days’ attitude and treat our kids as unrelatable aliens, but the fact was that when I thought back on what I was like as a teenager, my sons’ friends are, as a group, nicer and more thoughtful than my friends and I were.
“I remember seeing Little Miss Sunshine, and the teenage son was a revelation. Here was a teenage boy who, while nothing like the boys I knew, was portrayed as full and rich as any of the adults. And I think happiness, especially happiness in context of families, is a really difficult topic. We all want it and we all have the suspicion that other people know the secret to getting it.”
This is your second novel: you self-published your first novel, AfterZoe. Can you tell us about the experience of self-publishing? Why did you choose traditional publishing for your second novel?
“After I’d finished An Ordinary Epidemic I realised that however attached I was to AfterZoe, at that stage, no one was going to publish it. So I had two options, leave it on my hard drive or self-publish,” Amanda says. “Even a few years earlier self-publishing was hard and costly but with Createspace, Kindle Direct, Lulu, Smashwords and Draft2digital, getting it out there is so much easier. That doesn’t mean anyone will read it. I think self-publishing is easier for books that fit more directly into a genre and I know there are people out there being successful, but I never really cracked how to build an audience.
“That having been said, a few people did read it, I got reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, and the feedback I got both from friends and strangers gave me a whole new enthusiasm. When I’m having terrible doubts, those words are useful to go back and reread.”
What can you tell us about your writing process?
“When I’m writing I set myself word quotas, starting quite low but ramping up over a few weeks as I get into the book. But one thing I learnt is not to beat myself up if I fall off the word wagon. It’s more important to just get back to it.”
In the past you have written plays, but you say that you now prefer to write novels. What is it about the novel form, as opposed to plays, that you like?
“On a purely selfish level, I can write a novel and finish it without needing actors, directors, set designers to make it complete!” Amanda says. “But I’ve also found more scope for really getting inside the mind of a character. So much of what we communicate and feel is through our physical sensations and the way we physically react to things around us. We are so much more than just the words we say. I think you see that with great actors. Their words might be very simple, but we see their inner life through non-verbal means. I like doing that, but with words on a page instead of on a stage.”
What’s next for you? Are you working on another book?
“I’d started writing the next novel before MidnightSun offered to publish An Ordinary Epidemic,” she replies. “My dad used to say that if you expose ideas too early they shrivel, and this one is not well enough formed. But it’s going to have a little more of the magic realism that’s in AfterZoe, while being more firmly rooted in the real world like An Ordinary Epidemic.”
An Ordinary Epidemic is being launched at the South Australian Writers’ Centre, Second Floor, 187 Rundle Street, Adelaide from 6.30pm on Fri 8 May.
All are welcome. Drinks and nibbles will be provided, and Amanda will be there to sign copies of her new novel.
For more information on Amanda Hickie, visit amandahickie.com and check her out on Facebook Page ‘Amanda Hickie – Writer’.
Click HERE to check out Amanda’s Goodreads profile.
Print Friendly
Tags: AfterZoe Amanda Hickie Amazon An Ordinary Epidemic Goodreads Jonathan Swift’s A Journal of the Plague Years Little Miss Sunshine Lynette Washington MidnightSun Publishing South Australian Writers’ Centre The Clothesline
Bookmark and Share
Lynette Washington
Lynette Washington
Lynette spent much of her childhood roaming around Australia in a caravan. Now, she is constantly torn between competing desires for travel and suburban security. Her short stories and flash fiction have been published and awarded and she is working towards her PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Adelaide, where she also teaches. Lynette is currently editing the short story collection Breaking Beauty, which will be published in November 2014. Twitter: LynneTashi Blog: lynettewashington.wordpress.com Facebook: Lynette Washington – Author
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Shonen Knife: Rocking At The Sushi Bar!! – OzAsia Festival Review Shonen Knife: Rocking At The Sushi Bar!! – OzAsia Festival Review
SEPTEMBER 30, 2017
Specific Places Need Specific Dances: Waiting In Different Spaces – OzAsia Festival Review Specific Places Need Specific Dances: Waiting In Different Spaces – OzAsia Festival Review
SEPTEMBER 28, 2017
Hot Brown Honey: Sassy, Courageous And Provocative Women Of Song And Dance – OzAsia Festival Review Hot Brown Honey: Sassy, Courageous And Provocative Women Of Song And Dance – OzAsia Festival Review
SEPTEMBER 27, 2017
Dracula: A Visually Seductive Adaptation Of Bram Stoker’s Gothic Horror Masterpiece – Interview Dracula: A Visually Seductive Adaptation Of Bram Stoker’s Gothic Horror Masterpiece – Interview
SEPTEMBER 5, 2017
Young Modern And Friends: A Night To Remember At The Gov – Live Music Review Young Modern And Friends: A Night To Remember At The Gov – Live Music Review
AUGUST 27, 2017
AFTER I’VE GONE: Who’d Believe Facebook Could Be So Dangerous? – Book Review AFTER I’VE GONE: Who’d Believe Facebook Could Be So Dangerous? – Book Review
AUGUST 23, 2017
FRIEND REQUEST: Facebook Gets Creepy (Or Creepier) – Book Review FRIEND REQUEST: Facebook Gets Creepy (Or Creepier) – Book Review
AUGUST 23, 2017
John Dowler: It’s Not A Crime To Be Young & Modern – Interview John Dowler: It’s Not A Crime To Be Young & Modern – Interview
AUGUST 16, 2017
AMAZON WOMEN ON THE MOON (M): The Scattershot Cult Classic – DVD Flashback Review AMAZON WOMEN ON THE MOON (M): The Scattershot Cult Classic – DVD Flashback Review
AUGUST 1, 2017
Previous
Next
FIND US ON FACEBOOK
REVIEWS
Shonen Knife - OzAsia17 - The Clothesline
Shonen Knife: Rocking At The Sushi Bar!! – OzAsia Festival Review
Specific Places Need Specific Dances - Image by Indonesia Dance Festival - OzAsia - The Clothesline
Specific Places Need Specific Dances: Waiting In Different Spaces – OzAsia Festival Review
Hot Brown Honey - Image by Dylan Evans - OzAsia 2017 - The Clothesline
Hot Brown Honey: Sassy, Courageous And Provocative Women Of Song And Dance – OzAsia Festival Review
Dracula hero - shake & stir - AdFestCent - The Clothesline
Dracula: A Terrifying, Visually Engrossing Production Of Bram Stoker’s Horror Classic – Review
Young Modern - Image by David Robinson - The Clothesline
Young Modern And Friends: A Night To Remember At The Gov – Live Music Review
RECENTLY REVIEWED
Shonen Knife - OzAsia17 - The Clothesline
Shonen Knife: Rocking At The Sushi Bar!! – OzAsia Festival Review
Specific Places Need Specific Dances - Image by Indonesia Dance Festival - OzAsia - The Clothesline
Specific Places Need Specific Dances: Waiting In Different Spaces – OzAsia Festival Review
Hot Brown Honey - Image by Dylan Evans - OzAsia 2017 - The Clothesline
Hot Brown Honey: Sassy, Courageous And Provocative Women Of Song And Dance – OzAsia Festival Review
Dracula hero - shake & stir - AdFestCent - The Clothesline
Dracula: A Terrifying, Visually Engrossing Production Of Bram Stoker’s Horror Classic – Review
Young Modern - Image by David Robinson - The Clothesline
Young Modern And Friends: A Night To Remember At The Gov – Live Music Review
After I've Gone header - Linda Green - Quercus - The Clothesline
AFTER I’VE GONE: Who’d Believe Facebook Could Be So Dangerous? – Book Review
Amazon Women On The Moon Header - Shock DVD - The Clothesline
AMAZON WOMEN ON THE MOON (M): The Scattershot Cult Classic – DVD Flashback Review
IN PICTURES
RECENT POSTS
Shonen Knife: Rocking At The Sushi Bar!! - OzAsia Festival Review
SEP 30, 2017
Specific Places Need Specific Dances: Waiting In Different Spaces - OzAsia Festival Review
SEP 28, 2017
Hot Brown Honey: Sassy, Courageous And Provocative Women Of Song And Dance - OzAsia Festival Review
SEP 27, 2017
Dracula: A Terrifying, Visually Engrossing Production Of Bram Stoker's Horror Classic - Review
SEP 8, 2017
Dracula: A Visually Seductive Adaptation Of Bram Stoker's Gothic Horror Masterpiece - Interview
SEP 5, 2017
COPYRIGHT 2015 THE CLOTHESLINE {SITE MASSIVE EMPIRE} ADMIN BACK TO TOPSave:)
10/1/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1506912715861 1/2
Print Marked Items
Hickie, Amanda: BEFORE THIS IS OVER
Kirkus Reviews.
(Jan. 15, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Hickie, Amanda BEFORE THIS IS OVER Little, Brown (Adult Fiction) $26.00 3, 28 ISBN: 978-0-316-35545-2
When a global epidemic spreads to Sydney, Australia, one mother fights to keep her family alive and together in
Hickie's debut thriller.Loyal wife and mother Hannah becomes obsessed with coverage of the Manba virus, convinced
against all reports that it will spread to Sydney. As a cancer survivor, she has some personal experience with struggle
and illness, but her paranoia leads to an immaculately kept pantry filled with carefully counted staples and stores. What
seems at first to be Hannah's annoying sense of paranoia and self-righteousness proves to be brilliant planning when the
disease virulently attacks her area of Australia. Quarantined together, Hannah's family faces challenges to their safety
and questions about the limits of human empathy as they fight not only to survive, but to keep their own relationships
intact. There is no shortage of suspense in Hickie's novel, but on a deep level, it lacks drive. Hannah is complex but a
bit too sanctimonious, and the risks she faces do little to paint her in a sympathetic light. There's an effective sense of
claustrophobia; once the family goes into quarantine, they have little contact with any other people or any other places,
so the reader is trapped with them in their house--and in their roiling emotions. The most wrenching subplot involves a
dead neighbor whose little girl is taken in, rather reluctantly, by Hannah's family. Poses the typical challenges to our
safe, complacent lives, forcing readers to ask, "What would I do if...."
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Hickie, Amanda: BEFORE THIS IS OVER." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2017. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA477242317&it=r&asid=d3da9003cbcf6fa0bb4913e5b41d2bdc.
Accessed 1 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A477242317
---
10/1/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1506912715861 2/2
Before This Is Over
Publishers Weekly.
264.1 (Jan. 2, 2017): p37.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Before This Is Over
Amanda Hickie. Little, Brown, $26 (400p) ISBN 978-0-316-35545-2
Hannah Halloran, the heroine of Australian author Hickie's tense debut, worries that an insidious epidemic, which
originated in Asia, has invaded her suburban Australian town. She begins stockpiling food and keeping her sons,
teenage Zac and five-year-old Oscar, home from school. Hannah's obsession with storing food and avoiding the public
intensifies when the first cases are rumored to have occurred in a nearby town. Her husband, Sean, and her employer
think she's overreacting. When neighbors begin to die, others no longer doubt her. Under these circumstances, how does
one cope with entertaining an active child or feeding a growing, whiny teenager, who eats as if supermarkets are still
open and refuses to understand why he can't use the Internet? Neighbors turning on neighbors is expected, but society is
beyond broken when a family turns on itself. Hickie realistically depicts how isolation and the threat of disease affect
one family, especially when electricity, water, and other services break down. Agent: Torie Doherty Munro, Writers
House. (Mar.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Before This Is Over." Publishers Weekly, 2 Jan. 2017, p. 37. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA478696478&it=r&asid=744972a89ed08dbcd080d9c237397245.
Accessed 1 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A478696478
Thrillink
A Lifestyle Blog
Books
Fashion & Style
Hair & Beauty
Tattoos
Travel
About Me
Books
Book Review: Before This Is Over by Amanda Hickie
May 2, 2017 No Comments
About the Author and First Impressions
Hey everyone! I’ve been gone for awhile due to school and big changes, but I’m back with another book review. Before This Is Over by Amanda Hickie was kindly sent to me by Little Brown, and I was really excited to read it. It’s an adult dystopian about a deadly virus sweeping the world and how one mom is determined to save her family. Overall, it was an entertaining book and I’d definitely recommend it for summer reading!
Author Amanda Hickie actually lived in Canada during the SARS outbreak in 2003, which inspired the story behind this book. Scary, I know! She currently lives in Sydney, Australia, where Before This Is Over takes place. If you end up liking this novel, she has published several others!
My first impression of this book was good, and I finished the book largely feeling the same way. The emotional aspect of the book was what gripped me the most. Every time I picked up the book to read, I became more conscious of just how germy my surroundings are. I found myself wanting to clean my apartment, just like the mom in the book. Thankfully I didn’t also resort to stocking up the pantry, too, but it was tempting.
Before This Is Over also gets a good grade for its adherence to reality. People are killed by the deadly virus, families are torn apart, difficult decisions are made. Real things happen throughout the entire book and that made it all the better to read. However, I do think the ending of the book was too happy-go-lucky. Perfect endings bore me, so I was disappointed in where the last 10 pages brought the story.
What I loved:
Realness and the fact that the adult dystopian genre is getting some street cred – finally. Dystopian fiction is amazing, but the last novel I read in this genre was probably Brave New World. This novel stuck to difficult topics and didn’t try to baby them for the audience. I’m a fan.
What I hated:
While I didn’t hate anything in this novel, the ending was subpar. There were a few quotes from characters that I also found grating. Plus, some implausible end-of-the-world actions took place. But not to a degree that prevented me from enjoying the book.
Would I recommend it to a friend?
Yes! This is a great, light summer read that you can easily pick up and put down without losing the plot.
Have you read Before This Is Over? Is it on your reading list? Let me know in the comments!
Share this:
Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Instagram (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
Related
BOOK REVIEW: All the Light We Cannot See
BOOK REVIEW: All the Light We Cannot See
January 25, 2017
In "Books"
Summer 2017 Book Reviews
Summer 2017 Book Reviews
August 21, 2017
In "Books"
BOOK REVIEW: The Underground Railroad
BOOK REVIEW: The Underground Railroad
February 20, 2017
In "Books"
Previous PostNext Post
You may also like
June 15, 2017
Book Review: WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by Shirley Jackson
April 15, 2017
Book Review: SWING TIME by Zadie Smith
January 27, 2017
Last Semester of College: Classes, Graduation Plans, and Travel!
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Comment
Name *
Email *
Website
Post Comment
Notify me of follow-up comments by email.
Notify me of new posts by email.
Search for:
SEARCH
Search
About Me
22-year-old student writing about life's great books and adventures
Recent Posts
Summer 2017 Book Reviews
Paris Travel Guide: My Honeymoon in the City of Love
Book Review: WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by Shirley Jackson
Book Review: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell
Book Review: Before This Is Over by Amanda Hickie
Categories
About Me
Books
Fashion & Style
Hair & Beauty
Tattoos
Travel
Uncategorized
Thrillink
Skip to content
Keeper of Pages
[Mostly] Crime, Mystery & Thriller book reviews, ramblings & more!
Home
About
Book Reviews: A-Z
Non-Fiction Book Reviews: A-Z
Books Reviewed in 2017: A-Z
Books Reviewed in 2016: A-Z
Short Story Reviews
Blog Tours: A-Z
Book Box Unboxings
Bookish Ramblings
Book Hauls
Wrap Ups
Contact
Book Review: Before This Is Over by Amanda Hickie
Before This Is Over - Amanda Hickie
This book was recommended to me by my good friend Sam @ Clues and Reviews, and when Sam makes a recommendation, you listen, acquire and read. While I’m not a huge fan of the cover, the story inside is much better than the cover would have you believe! The paperback is released on November 2nd but the ebook is available to buy now.
Book Description:
BEFORE THIS IS OVER by Amanda Hickie is a powerful, thought-provoking drama that looks at one family in the heart of a devastated community and compels us to ask: how far would I go to save my children?
Meet Hannah Halloran. Wife of Sean, mother of teenage Zac and little Oscar. Their comfortable home is in a suburb of a city unaffected by the deadly flu that’s killed thousands. But Hannah is tense. She’s worried about Zac’s vulnerability miles away at a crowded summer camp. She’s uneasy about Oscar’s boisterous play with the children at his school. Is physical contact wise when an epidemic is coming closer? Hannah fears that their safe little world is about to be blown apart. And she’s right. It’s time to get Zac home – if they can…
As the virus traps Hannah and her family in their neighbourhood and then within their own home, supplies of food, water and electricity dwindle. The battery life on their mobile phones fades, cutting them off from critical news bulletins. Sean’s confidence that the government will keep everyone safe is misplaced. Every day, Hannah has choices to make that will decide whether they live or die. Choices with devastating consequences. Just how far will she go to protect those she loves?
Originally published under the title AN ORDINARY EPIDEMIC.
My Thoughts:
Who knew a book that took place mainly in one location could keep me gripped for its entirety. Before This Is Over is a silent thriller – the thrills aren’t right there in your face but they’re bubbling under the surface the whole time. As Manba, a deadly virus, is sweeping the world, cities full of people are dying, the death toll rising each day and now it’s reached Sydney. But that’s okay because Hannah prepared for this, she stocked up on supplies, and is determined her family will survive this. But she didn’t plan for the electric and water being cut off, and she certainly didn’t plan for having an extra mouth to feed!
Whilst reading this novel, I felt a strong sense of unease, and that’s because I identified with Hannah so much it scared me. Zac and Oscar are her children, her priority, her first, last and everything, so when she reluctantly gives food to her neighbour, she’s very aware that is one less meal for her children. Hannah doesn’t want to share her supplies, and I don’t think I would in her situation either. And this moral dilemma plagues you throughout the whole book – would you give food to the old lady next door, supplies are low, you don’t know when it will be safe to go outside again? If you reluctantly agree to take in a child, one that is not your own, one you barely even know, do you give them the same size portions as your own children because one portion given away is one less portion you have for your own children? Needless to say, this is indeed a thought-provoking read, one that has you constantly questioning what you would do in Hannah’s situation.
This family must adapt every day, Zac is forced to grow up, and Oscar is shielded from as much of it as possible. As each day passes and the kids go to bed, that’s another day survived, but there’s no time to celebrate, you must begin thinking about how you will survive tomorrow and all that it will bring!
The events portrayed in this novel are so realistic, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was based on true events. Manba is a virus, so if you need complete realism in your novels, you’re safe here, there are no zombie apocalypses.
My only niggle with this one – I don’t think the novel needed to be quite so long. I felt at times, small parts of the story dragged. As this is a slow-paced read, with no fast action at all, at certain times, I felt we were given additional information that wasn’t really needed as it didn’t build on the tension in any way, or lay the foundation for something that was coming.
If you enjoy novels of a slower pace, which have you questioning how you would act, or are a fan of pandemic novels, I highly recommend Before This Is Over.
This book is available to buy from: Amazon UK / Book Depository
*My thanks to the publisher (Headline Review) for granting me access to a digital copy of this book via Netgalley*
Advertisements
Share this:
TwitterFacebook6GoogleEmail
Author: Keeper of Pages
Blogging about books and other bookish ramblings View all posts by Keeper of Pages
Author Keeper of Pages
Posted on September 24, 2017
Categories Book Reviews
Tags adult fiction, Amanda Hickie, Before This Is Over, book, book blog, book recommendation, book review, ebook, fiction, Headline, Headline Review, Netgalley, review
12 thoughts on “Book Review: Before This Is Over by Amanda Hickie”
Annie says:
September 24, 2017 at 10:17
Am i weird? I love the cover! Hahaha These books about viruses are super scary imo!
Liked by 1 person
Reply
Keeper of Pages says:
September 24, 2017 at 12:36
Lol not weird at all! I do enjoy these kinds of novels, a pandemic could happen at any moment so I think the fact they could happen to us irl is what makes it scary!
Liked by 1 person
Reply
Karen says:
September 24, 2017 at 11:36
Great review, I have this one coming to me from the pub.
Liked by 1 person
Reply
Keeper of Pages says:
September 24, 2017 at 12:37
Thanks Karen, it’s a good one, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it 😊
Like
Reply
nikkisnovelniche says:
September 24, 2017 at 11:48
Great review 🙂 I nominated you for the Mystery Blogger Award, check it out here: https://nikkisnovelniche.wordpress.com/2017/09/22/mystery-blogger-award/
Liked by 1 person
Reply
Jo says:
September 24, 2017 at 12:22
Glad you enjoyed this – the publisher has just offered to send me a copy! And, like Annie, I quite like the cover!
Liked by 1 person
Reply
Keeper of Pages says:
September 24, 2017 at 12:46
That’s awesome, I hope you enjoy it too, it’s a good one! Yeah, I don’t know, the cover just doesn’t appeal to me at all…
Liked by 1 person
Reply
Renee (Itsbooktalk) says:
September 24, 2017 at 13:47
Initially looking quickly at the cover and title I thought this was a feel good family book! This sounds interesting, I like to be challenged with moral questions when I’m reading and this has a good ‘what would I do’ tone
Liked by 1 person
Reply
Keeper of Pages says:
September 24, 2017 at 15:29
That might explain why I’m not a fan of the cover, imo it doesn’t reflect the story told. But I enjoy books that have me questioning what I’d do in that situation. It’s worth adding to the tbr 🙂
Liked by 1 person
Reply
bibliobeth says:
September 25, 2017 at 10:04
I’ve got this one to read too! Looking forward to it and thank you for the great review! 👍🏻
Liked by 1 person
Reply
Keeper of Pages says:
September 25, 2017 at 17:10
Thank you! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it 🙂
Liked by 1 person
Reply
notleftontheshelf says:
September 27, 2017 at 10:43
I loved this one! Really makes you think! X
Liked by 1 person
Reply
Leave a Reply
Enter your comment here...
Post navigation
PREVIOUS
Previous post:Blog Blitz | Book Review: A Justifiable Madness by AB Morgan
NEXT
Next post:Book Review: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
RECENT POSTS
Audiobook Review/Rambling: One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis (Narrated by Lucy Gaskell & Nigel Pilkington)
October 1, 2017
#BookHaul: September 2017
September 29, 2017
Book Review: The Visitors by Catherine Burns
September 28, 2017
Book Review: Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine (Stillhouse Lake #1)
September 27, 2017
Audiobook Review: Sealskin by Su Bristow (Narrated by Angus King)
September 26, 2017
FOLLOW BLOG VIA EMAIL
Enter your email address
FOLLOW
Search for:
Search …
SEARCH
INSTAGRAM
Happy October 1st #bookstagram! Yesterday’s #bookmail from the wonderful @zukythebookbum, I’ll be reading Unravelling Oliver this month then paying it forward. So if you live in the UK and this book is on your TBR, let me know.
...Ali (@the_sunday_feeling) read it and passed it along to Zuky, who read it and passed it along to me, now it’s my turn to read it and pass it along to ???
...the only condition is, if I pass it along to you, once you’ve read it you must pass it along to another bookstagrammer and keep the chain going so we can all read Unravelling Oliver.
•🍂•
I will pick a person at random to send it too out of those who comment, and they can browse the comments for the next person to pay it forward to 😊
•🍂•
And I’m officially addicted to these polka dot muffins from @bbs_bakersbaristas 😍 I ate 3 yesterday 🙈 and I’m about to enjoy the last right now with an americano - heaven 🙌 Let’s talk DNF books!!🚫
Do you have to finish the book or can can you close the book for good before reading the final page? ...Do you read to a certain point, eg half way, or stop sooner? ...Last book you DNF’d?
•🍂•
The last book I DNF’d was The Betrayals, I read to 63% - I really tried to finish it but I felt no connection to the plot or characters. There were too many strong themes taking place to explore any of them in detail (adultery, divorce, mental health, alcoholism, friendships, betrayal, cancer), and this keep me at a distance from the events taking place.
➡️swipe➡️
Before that I DNF’d The Dove’s Necklace at p.138, this was an arc copy but the font was far to small for the size of the page and I kept losing my place, which was extremely frustrating. But mainly, there were too many characters and too much happening all at once and it was difficult to keep up and remember which storyline belonged to which character. I felt like the author was trying a bit too hard to write a profound piece of literature and it just didn’t work for me at all 🙁 The power of #bookstagram, if enough of you post positive things about a book, I will buy it - I’m weak like that 🙈 And now I own The Handmaid’s Tale (and I love this cover.)
...I legit had never heard of this book but it is or is soon to be a TV series and bookstagram put me on notice so I now have a copy to read!
...This brings my total of owned books to read (not including review copies) to 298!
•🍂•
QOTD: A book you purchased because it was posted about a million times on bookstagram?? I need to learn how to let books pass me by! The Visitors was a ‘Read Now’ on Netgalley so I couldn’t resist but now I’m wishing I did as I didn’t enjoy this one 🙁
...The Visitors is a slow paced character study, and sadly I thought the character study was complete in like the first few chapters, ergo making the first three quarters of this novel a bore 🙈 ⭐️⭐️
•🍂•
QOTD: What was the last book you read that you wish you hadn’t?? Stillhouse Lake is a lesson in paranoia! I can’t wait to discuss this one with @criminallygoodbookclub on Sunday. I don’t want to get all sentimental but #cgbookclub is the best and it’s members are the best! 💙
•🍂•
If you enjoy crime, mystery, [psychological] thriller, suspense books, come read along with us and let’s talk books!
Book club reading schedule:
Oct: Unsub by Meg Gardiner
Nov: The Sinner by Petra Hammesfahr
Dec: Abandon by Blake Crouch Selkies lives as seals in the sea, but shed their skin to become human on land. #Sealskin is the story of Mairhi, a selkie. It starts with an awful wrong and blossoms into the most magical, beautiful story!
...Chosen as #ninjabookclub’s September book, I listened to the #audiobook and it was the best audiobook I’ve ever listened to in my whole entire life!
•🍂•
It’s fantasy as close to realism as you’re going to get; Bristow has a lyrical quality to her writing and Angus King’s narration really brought it to life! Super highly recommend this one as an audiobook!
•🍂•
Looking forward to the discussion on this one, hosted by @ninjabookbox
CURRENTLY READING
The Ghostwriter
The Ghostwriter
by Alessandra Torre
goodreads.com
NETGALLEY BADGES
Netgalley Member 80% Feedback
Twitter
Instagram
Keeper of Pages Blog at WordPress.com.
HomeBook ReviewsWin BooksGuest BloggersLinksAbout
BEFORE THIS IS OVER by Amanda Hickie
Click to purchase
Rumors of a deadly virus have already begun to spread, but Australia has so far remained safe. For Hannah, though, it is a concern. A cancer survivor always anxiously aware of any minute change in her own health, Hannah also has two sons and a husband to care for. And so when talk circulates of the virus’s potential spread, Hannah starts to prepare. Stockpiling food and other necessities is at the forefront of her mind in the beginning and she feels she’s done well enough at that, ensuring the men in her household don’t dip into the emergency stash along the way. But even she realizes that keeping her eldest son from participating in a school trip, when no infection has yet to reach their shores, might be a bit of a stretch.
And yet, her concerns are founded. The virus hits Australia while her oldest son is separated from the rest of the family. She berates her husband for heading into the office and keeps her youngest son home from school while the teachers and principal believe she’s being ridiculously paranoid. And again her concerns turn out to be founded when one of the men in the office and children at the school become infected. And when her son’s school trip is trapped by blockades and quarantine measures, Hannah’s husband finally agrees it’s time to take matters into their own hands.
I loved Amanda Hickie’s debut. In a time of ebola and zika, amongst others, the fear of viral apocalypse definitely seems like a reality we could very well face. Amanda Hickie herself was inspired to write the book based on her own fears after threats of a SARS outbreak.
And those fears ring true in Hannah. The story is tinged by that fear, imbued with a sense of paranoia and dread that infects the reader from the very first page. Which of course makes it a perfectly intense read.
Before This is Over is the kind of book that will appeal to a wide audience. The outbreak aspect makes it dark and satisfying for dystopian and post apocalyptic fans, but there’s a definite literary lean to the novel that will appeal to more than just genre fans. And considering the book raises a lot of questions, most importantly how far would you go to protect the people you love most, I think it would make a great pick for book clubs looking for a very discussion worthy and timely read.
7/17 Becky LeJeune
BEFORE THIS IS OVER by Amanda Hickie. Little, Brown and Company (March 28, 2017). ISBN 978-0316355452. 400p.
Kindle
Share this:
Click to email (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)1Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)1Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
Related
GONE WITHOUT A TRACE by Mary Torjussen
In "Book Reviews"
CAMINO ISLAND by John Grisham
In "Book Reviews"
SEEING RED by Sandra Brown
In "Book Reviews"
This entry was posted on Thursday, July 6th, 2017 at 6:00 AM and is filed under Book Reviews, Crime Fiction, Fiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Post navigation
« Previous Post Next Post »
Comments are closed.
RECENT POSTS
Win the October ’17 bookshelf of signed thrillers!
THE CUBAN AFFAIR by Nelson DeMille
LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng
YOU SAY IT FIRST by Susan Mallery
HOLLY AND IVY by Fern Michaels
OTHER PAGES
Best Books of the Year
Florida Events
Review Policy
Podcasts
Search
CATEGORIES
Author Spotlight
Best Books of the Year
Book Reviews
Archive
Fiction
Crime Fiction
Horror
Romance
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Women's Fiction
Nonfiction
Cookbook
Food
Memoir
Contests
Guest Bloggers
Ramblings
Uncategorized
TAGS
Adventure Anthology art Audiobook B Beach Read biography Book Discussion Booklist British Business chick-lit Children's Christmas Civil War Conference Contemporary Cozy Diet dogs Dystopian eBook eBooks eco-thriller Erotica Excerpt Fantasy Florida Food Foodie Fiction Gift Gift books Graphic Novel Historical History Holiday Holocaust Humor Illustrated International Irish Italian Jewish Legal Legal thriller Library Literary Magical Realism Medical medical thriller Military Mystery New Adult Novella Paranormal Poetry Police Procedural Political post-apocalyptic Regency Restaurant review Romantic Suspense Scandinavian Scandinavian thriller Short Story Steampunk Suspense Techno Thriller Time travel Translated Travel Vampire Western Young Adult
FOLLOW BLOG VIA EMAIL
Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
Enter your email address
Follow
SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER
Join Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com today! Approximately once a month you'll receive our newsletter. Click Here to Join!
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER
SOCIAL MEDIA
Like my Facebook page
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Pinterest
Follow me on Goodreads
facebook facebook facebook facebook facebook
ARCHIVES
Archives
The views expressed here are mine and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Palm Beach County Library System.
Copyright © 1998-2017 Stacy Alesi. All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced without written permission from the author. "BookBitch" & "I am the BookBitch" Copyright © 1998-2017
Powered by WordPress.com.
Follow
:)
Skip to content
Recent Posts
BANNED: Why We Keep Whining About Banned Books Year After Year
8-ish Reasons to Have Your Book Club at BookBar
September Books for Kids and Teens
Dogs (and cat) of BookBar!
How Starfish: Her Infinite Impact is Working to Make Illiteracy a Distant Memory in Guatemala
Search for:
Search here...
Darcey Rosenblatt reading from Lost Boys right now. Get down here to meet her! #weneeddiversebooks Incredible children's authors Melissa Savage and Jonathan Fenske signing Lemons & Plankton is Pushy for BookBar to get in the hands of students.Thanks for helping us get local authors' books in the hands of our local students @melissadsavage @jonathanfenske @penguinrandomhouse @scholasticinc #bookbardenver #childrensbooks #childrensliteracy #bookstagram #authorsofinstagram #Repost @albert_flynn_desilver it was such a pleasure to host you last night! And to everyone else--we have signed copies! ・・・
The epic folks at @bookbardenver serving up more than just wine and lattes #gratitude #WritingasaPath #booktour We just got some new cards in from @thefound ! #bookbardenver #thefound #sayitwithacard Our Bookworms are reviewing books, why aren’t you? #bookreview #bookworm #bookbardenver #wishingtree #bookstagram Spoiler alert. You shouldn’t read this book unless you’re prepared to cry a little. Even the hardest hearts will be warmed by the end of this touching story. It’s told from the perspective of the main character, Red, a red oak tree who is also a “wishtree.” Once a year, people come to Red. They write their wishes on pieces of paper or fabric and tie them to Red’s branches. Then, they whisper their wish. Red listens but never responds. It’s against the rules for a tree, bush or animal to speak to a human. And that’s okay with Red. At least until Red learns he’s going to be cut down. Suddenly, he feels the need to fulfill a final wish, the wish of a little girl hoping to find a friend. I won’t give away the rest, but this book makes you think a lot about kindness, acceptance and the nature of friendship. I would highly recommend this book, especially to anyone who enjoys books where joy triumphs and goodwill overwhelms. If you’ve read any of Katherine Applegate’s materials, you won’t want to miss “Wishtree”. @macmillankidsbooks @macmillanusa It's the perfect day to grab a #newrelease sip a coffee and enjoy the fall weather. #bookbardenver #newreleasetuesday #bookstagran
Categories
Bar
Book
BookWorm
Event
Review
Street Report
Uncategorized
unfiltered
Recent Comments
jlaurenwhite on Grown Ups! We Dare you to Read…
Robert Hickler on BookBar Expands Its Hybrid Bus…
Archives
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
November 2015
Meta
Register
Log in
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
WordPress.com
BookWormBookReviewUncategorizedEventStreet ReportunfilteredBar
September Books for Kids and Teens
September 19, 2017
Sandhya Menon is Coming to BookBar and the BookWorms Are in Love
August 14, 2017
Ella- How To Disappear
August 8, 2017
Gabi- Daughter of the Burning City
August 7, 2017
Emma & Omar’s Back to School Reads (2017)
August 7, 2017
Facebook Instagram Twitter New item
Browse
bookbarblog
Home Book Event Bar Review BookWorm
BOOKREVIEW
Staff Review: ‘Before this is over’ by Amanda Hickie
bookbardenver June 30, 2017 0 Comments
Having grown up in south Louisiana, I’m no stranger to disaster preparedness. Hurricane season coincided with the end of school/beginning of summer break and meant stockpiling canned foods, dry cereals, crackers, batteries, and flashlights. Ensuring your car never dipped below half a tank of gas was an idea drilled into us all in those months. And the end of the season, most of which thankfully passed uneventfully, meant the excitement of digging into that hands-off stockpile of junk food!
I say mostly uneventful, but there were enough bad seasons that that preparedness was never something I took for granted, even after leaving the area. And so, maybe it’s a bit twisted that I enjoy so many post apocalyptic and disaster driven stories! Or maybe it’s an understanding of the fear that can drive a person in those situations.
Whatever the reason, Amanda Hickie’s Before This is Over was definitely high on my reading radar.
The premise is this: a highly contagious and deadly virus has been making the rounds. At the start of the story it has yet to actually hit Australia, but Hannah knows it’s coming. And so she’s started to prepare. She has her own stockpile of food and necessities, some of which she’s tried to hide from her husband – who believes she’s already being overly cautious.
And yet some would say she isn’t cautious enough considering, after pressure from both her son and her husband, she allows her eldest son to take a trip across the country while all of this is going on. And of course, while he’s gone the first cases appear in neighboring cities.
Before This is Over is the kind of book that really makes a reader consider how they themselves might react in Hannah’s situation. While everyone else believes her to be on the extreme side of paranoia, her husband included, it turns out that paranoia is exactly what leaves them better off than their neighbors. But would you, in Hannah’s situation, do the same? Would you take precautions before those around you even consider it? Would you hoard food and supplies in, what seems in the beginning, the off chance that disaster will hit?
Like many, Hannah’s motivation is in protecting those closest to her and Hickie does an amazing job of bringing that need through in her writing. Hannah’s love and fear are so palpable that it pulls the reader through the story, making it a truly intense reading experience.
Of course, in a time of ebola, and zika, amongst others, it’s no surprise to learn that Hickie drew on her own fears (of SARS, no less) in putting together her debut. One hopes writing it was a cathartic experience – or maybe she can draw some relief in knowing that many reading the tale will share in her fears!
I’d like to believe that I would be somewhat prepared but who knows. It’s definitely something I pondered over even after I turned the final pages.
If you’re looking for an absolutely chilling read this summer, Before This is Over is perfect. It’s also a great pick for your book club – a definite conversation starter that will no doubt lead to some interesting discussions!
-Becky Lejeune
SHARE THIS:
TwitterFacebook7Google
LIKE THIS:
CATEGORIESBook, ReviewTAGSbook review
PREVIOUS
Grown Ups! We Dare you to Read Without Walls
JUNE 28, 2017NEXT
9 Books for the Kids to Read (Without Walls) This Summer
JULY 1, 2017
Leave a Reply
Enter your comment here...
Blog at WordPress.com.