by Allée (link)
Genre drama/angst
Pairings none
Length 7 installments
Status Unfinished
As soon as I began reading this story, I was confused. Luckily, there were character profiles that sorted out some of my confusion. Suffice it to say, a lot is changed about the Hanson family’s history, with the biggest two changes being that both Walker and Taylor have twin brothers… and Walker’s brother Daniel is the one married to Diana. Confused yet?
At least one of those changes is necessitated, I suppose, by the abuse storyline. Stories about abuse are always difficult to get right, and I certainly don’t claim to be an expert. Allée’s tendency toward short scenes skip some events and sometimes blend dreams with reality doesn’t help with the emotional impact or all the confusion I had to begin with.
Despite being only seven installments, Nothing Moves At Midnight is not short by any means. Several of these installments are quite lengthy, as the story covers three years before Allée ceased writing it. Despite all the big changes she’s made to the boys’ history, the story covers the history of the band as we know it — from those first cassette tapes in Venezuela to the beginning of the band.
It’s interesting to see how things play out in the richly developed world that she’s created, just a few steps to the side of our reality. There are a few “errors” that can be blamed on Allée being Australian, but otherwise the story reads as though, aside from those changes, it could have happened. It’s just a shame that Allée didn’t stick with it and see the story through to its ending, wherever that might have been. Nothing Moves At Midnight is likely one of the most unique “origin” stories out there, especially considering how popular that genre has been over the years.
Review by Bethany (website)