Before the Fall is an astonishing literary achievement. Set during World War I, Juliet West’s powerful and crisp prose creates an atmosphere of impending doom and lays bare the hardships of life in London’s East End. West deftly captures the voices of the working poor who are caught in webs of duty to country, family, friends, and work. The author understands the complexities of war at the home front, and as bombs fall on London, she pulls us deeper and deeper into this mesmerizing story of desire, love, loss, and courage. Ann Weisgarber,
