Would I think to find North if I was lost at night somewhere in the ocean? This is one of the first questions that struck me early into reading Before the Fall. Would I try to swim towards a shore, like the protagonist did, or would I tread water and wait? Maybe it's just my mind lately, but I think it's another one of those stories that made me question real life situations. Later, my question turned to the focus of the book, which was why did a seemingly perfectly functioning, private Lear jet fall into the ocean, killing 7 of the 9 on-board, and how does a survivor begin again? 
 Scott Burroughs survives the plane crash by swimming some ten miles to a shore he could not be certain would even be there. He is labeled a hero for saving a 4-year old boy, the only other survivor. Like often seen in a real life situation, Burroughs has trouble identifying himself as a hero for doing what any person would likely do. More important to him now is the state of the child who lost his entire family, and how exactly to go forward from this point. Even though he did not know the boy before the fateful disaster, they are bound together because of it. 
 Hawley starts the story almost immediately with the boarding of the plane, and a very two-dimensional image of each character, before plunging the reader into the water with Scott and the boy. Before they have even left the hospital, suspicions arise as to why Burroughs happened to be the one to survive the crash, especially being an outsider in contrast to the other passengers. As the investigation into the crash progresses, we are intermittently introduced to the other characters past lives leading up to the boarding of the flight. 
 I really liked this story that is hardly outside the realm of the possible. The only drawbacks were the times when the wording became too introspective, and the complete believability in the cause of the crash. Sorry, I can't give any details without spoiling the entire thing. Yes, it is revealed at the end. 
 Oh yeah, if your thinking about locating North at night, it was answered in the book. Hint: look to the stars.