Mother’s intuition or a deadly guilty conscience? A woman races against time to find her son in this tense and twisty thriller by the bestselling author of The Wrong Woman.
As the third wave of the virus hits, all inhabitants of Melbourne are given until 8pm to get to their homes. Wherever they are when the curfew begins, they must live for four weeks and stay within five kilometres of. When Lou’s son, Samuel, doesn’t arrive home by nightfall, she begins to panic.
He doesn’t answer his phone. He doesn’t message. His social media channels are inactive. Lou is out of her mind with worry, but she can’t go to the police, because she has secrets of her own. Secrets that Samuel just can’t find out about. Lou must find her son herself and bring him home.
Candice Fox said of J.P. Pomare’s latest thriller: ‘The thrill and fear arrive early in Home Before Night and don’t leave until the final pages. J. P. Pomare is the real deal; he has the skill to twist your heart’. I couldn’t agree more. From page one, Pomare effortlessly instills us with a tantalising sense of unease. This is a page-turner with masterful plot twists that beckons you into this tale of intrigue.
Pomare cleverly fast tracks the reader to empathise with Lou, once an airport immigration officer and now redundant thanks to COVID-19. We learn she makes a quick study of people, thanks to her former career. Now as a single mum, she’s flailing. COVID has taken its toll, she’s drinking a bit and her prime focus is on her pride and joy son, Samuel.
Pomare quickly transports us to Lou’s backstory – we are with her in a near fatal incident on a beach, and as a result we understand even more why her son is the centre of her universe. Only her son hasn’t returned home by the curfew given for the latest lockdown, he’s not with her estranged ex… he’s not answering his phone… Where is he?
Pomare’s heart stopping twists and rapid fire pace ensure pages are turned as we come to see all is not as it seems and the truth is a lot darker, and in many ways more human, than we could ever imagine. It hearkens back to the original sense of unease planted in the novel’s opening lines. It’s a wonderful tale on what makes a family, on the lies we tell ourselves and our false memories that are continually insisted upon to keep doubt, dread and regret at bay. It’s a story of love and guilt.
All of Pomare’s other novels have been optioned for TV and film, The Clearing is soon to be released as an eight-part series starring Guy Pearce by Disney. Home Before Night will surely be added to this list; it would make a brilliant short run series.
Deftly written, lean in style, this is a gripping read from a true talent.
Leave a Reply