Just Before the Dawn

Joseph Gillan's Just before the Dawn (Rebecca Remembered) is, in many ways, designed to be an elegy for lost chances. In rich detail, Gillan describes a love affair between Rebecca and Thomas, which has been over for some time but which is brought back to Rebecca's attention by a lengthy letter from Thomas. This spells the beginning of the end of Rebecca's once-happy marriage to William. While chronicling this decline, Gillan also uses the titular refrain to show readers the relationship once shared between Rebecca and Thomas. He occupies both characters' perspectives, providing readers with a more well-rounded view of the story. While Rebecca is dealing with the end of her marriage, Thomas is dating a variety of women, none of whom satisfies him in the way that she did. And yet Thomas finds himself pining after another woman, Olivia. Using all of these relationships, Gillan masterfully establishes and reiterates the tensions of unrequited love in a way that draws readers in while simultaneously wrenching their hearts. Filled with reflections on the nature of faith, religion, and life itself, Just before the Dawn (Rebecca Remembered) is an intricately detailed, intelligently written text. Gillan is able to be intellectual, yet never pedantic, and his frequent citations of other writers may endear him to his readers. This is a novel that mulls over many basic questions of human existence; for this reason, it could have a wide appeal.