Life Before Death (Book Review)

Title: Life Before Death
Author: Matt Frend
Source: from author for review


Goodreads Summary:
There’s something you need to know - there's more to life than living. This is the conclusion a young woman arrives at following a soul-searching road trip across Australia. Mandi and her friends including Timbo, a young man from Wardaman country, travel through the wilds of the Northern Territory, exploiting what they see as an unjust law – and grow a crop of cannabis. Their spirited ride through late-twentieth century Australian counter culture involves run-ins with the authorities, collaborating with bikers and seeing the underground side of life. Then an event occurs which gives Mandi an insight into the other side of life itself, and provides her with a message. A message, which for Mandi, resolves the ultimate unknown – why are we here?


My Thoughts:
I have mixed feelings about this book. The writing in this book is amazing. But the story moves very slowly and there almost seems to be no point to the novel. While the lack of moving plot made it take me a long time to get through this book. The conversations between Mandi and her best friend Robyn are always interesting and very thought provoking. And there are plenty of these conversations throughout the book that kept me reading despite the slow pace. This book is full of quotes that I have circled so that I'll remember later and great writing, but the actual story seemed a little lacking. However, if you are someone who is into metaphysical and philosophical conversation, this is a book that I would recommend. Just don't go into it expecting a light read and fun plot.


Rating: 3/5