Between Before and After

By: Maureen Doyle McQuerry

Narrated by: Madison Lawrence, Liz Hill

Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's Summary

“The carnage began with the roses. She hacked at their ruffled blooms until they dropped into monstrous drifts of red on the parched yellow lawn.... Only two things kept my mother grounded to us: my uncle Stephen and stories.”

Fourteen-year-old Molly worries about school, friends, and her parents’ failed marriage, but mostly about her mother’s growing depression. Molly knows her mother is nursing a carefully kept secret. A writer with an obsession for other people’s life stories, Elaine Donnelly is the poster child of repressed emotions.

Molly spends her California summer alternately watching out for her little brother Angus and tiptoeing around her mother’s raw feelings. Molly needs her mother more than ever, but Elaine shuts herself off from real human connections and buries herself in the lives and deaths of the strangers about whom she writes. 

When Uncle Stephen is pressed into the limelight because of his miracle cure of a young man, Elaine can no longer hide behind other people’s stories. And as Molly digs into her mother’s past, she finds a secret hidden in her mother’s dresser that may be the key to unlocking a family mystery dating to 1918 New York - a secret that could destroy or save their future.

Told in dual narratives between 1918 New York City and 1955 San Jose, California, Between Before and After, by award-winning author Maureen McQuerry, explores the nature of family secrets, resiliency, and redemption. This is an historical coming-of-age young-adult story about the complex bonds between mothers and daughters.

©2019 Maureen Doyle McQuerry (P)2019 Blink

Critic Reviews

"Maureen's flowing prose pulls the reader in closely to the harsh realities of life for children in 1918 New York City, but also conveys the strength of a sister's love for her brother when everything dear to them is ripped away. The dual narratives of Molly and Elaine grip the reader in a crescendo of suspense that pays off like a favorite fairy tale." (Mary Cronk Farrell, award-winning author of Pure Grit and the upcoming Standing Up Against Hate) 

"Between Before and After is that rare novel where you want to turn the pages quickly but must resist because you want to savor every word. McQuerry's richly rendered settings of New York City in 1918 during the flu pandemic and San Jose, California, in 1955 feature conflicted characters in challenging real-life situations. An unforgettable read, start to finish." (Stephen Wallenfels, author of Bad Call (Disney/Hyperion) and Deadfall) 

"In Between Before and After, Maureen McQuerry weaves two equally captivating storylines into a seamless and moving tale of a daughter's search for her mother's truth. There's no better way to say it than this - I loved this book!" (Suzanne Selfors, best-selling author of the Imaginary Veterinary series and the Wedgie & Gizmo series)

Fantastic story

Ms McQuerry tells two stories of teenage girls living in different eras. She does a remarkable job of keeping their voices distinct as the two lives slowly intertwine. I felt part of their worlds, as if I were walking alongside them. Beautifully told. The narration was perfect.

Plagues and Miracles in a gripping story

In 1955 teen Molly wants to discover the secrets of her mother's past. She unlocks more than she imagined. The story moves between the 1918 plague era in Brooklyn and 1955 San Jose, California. Characters with depth and determination, a tale with twists make this a can't-put-it-down read. I listened to the audio version which was excellent.