by Nyssa (link)
Genre het, drama/angst
Pairings Isaac/OFC, Taylor/OFC, Zac/OFC
Length 22 chapters
Status Completed
Nyssa was, it seems, quite a prolific author over the early-to-mid years of the fandom. From skimming it, Before and After, appears to be a nice, dramatic story with a unique structure–two things I’m always looking for.
The basic plot here seems to revolve around the toll of Hanson’s early fame, which is an interesting topic, but I find it hard to relate to how bitter and angry Taylor is. The portions from his point of view are full of such vitriol that it doesn’t even seem like the same story when the point of view switches to third person Zac or Isaac’s letters to his friends back home. Such abrupt switches don’t really work anyway, even if epistolary fic can be really unique and fun to read.
The “After” section brings in several new points of view that only muddle the plot up even more. I had a feeling, from the beginning, that I knew what “After” referred to, and I was correct–after Taylor’s overdose and death. A few little hints were placed throughout the story to show that he was already using drugs, but I never felt like I really understood why or how that began.
The idea of showing the effect of his death on so many people is a good one, but the rapid fire point of view switches don’t quite work when they’re all in first person. The ending is fairly predictable, too, just like Taylor’s drug use and death were–and none have quite the intended emotional effect. Add to all of that a bit of sloppy writing, clumsy use of the song Lullaby by Shawn Mullins and the fact that Nyssa is clearly Australian, and Before and After just really doesn’t live up to its interesting premise.
Review by Bethany (website)