Review by lalucas416 -- Life Before by K.L. Romo

[lalucas416]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Life Before" by K.L. Romo.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Author K. L. Romo’s historical-fiction novel, Life Before, weaves together stories from the life of an early 20th century prostitute living in Dallas, Texas, with a modern day writer. As she goes back and forth between past and present the writer, Elaine, discovers the reasons she feels such a magnetic attraction to her character, a very young woman named Eliza, whose life is seemingly so different from her own.

Throughout the novel, the main characters are sympathetically portrayed for their courage, idealism or desire to better themselves. From the reasons the girls were propelled into that lifestyle through the detailed activities of their workday, the author paints a picture of people that remain hopeful in the most dire of circumstances. Most impressive, is the author’s ability to psychologically profile her characters, skillfully delineating the person and “tipping point” event that propelled these very young girls to enter the world of high end prostitution. Some age-old perceptions as to why women choose this lifestyle are validated but also challenged by presenting prostitutes as human beings worthy of better treatment.

The main characters are not vilified as being morally corrupt unless they act malevolently. The young prostitutes are shown to be victims of familial, societal and economic pressures that made key people in their world use them for personal gain as well as to betray them. Although the girls were once alone and begrudging participants, the women grow to rely on and protect each other from the continual danger of violence at the hands of their customers.

Knowing that the same evil exists and prospers in our modern world, the most memorable scenes revolve around the sex slave trade. Young women tricked into or literally taken from their homes are forced to supply sex in a most sordid world, carefully kept hidden from public awareness. Along with racism, violence against women, and the double standards of the elite, the ongoing existence of sex trafficking reflects unchanged societal norms. Some readers may feel squeamish about the sex scenes, however, the most violent one is described through the eyes of a sexual naif, with enough detail to outline the act leaving the rest to imagination.

I give this novel four out of four stars as a compelling read for the quality of the nuanced and multi-layered storytelling as well as for the humane and even-handed portrayal of young girls propelled into the world’s oldest profession. I highly recommend this to any reader interested in the existence of past lives, talismans transported through time and automatic writing: entwining historical facts with new age concepts allows history to come alive in a new and interesting way.

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Life Before
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