Leaving Before It's Over: A Novel

A deeply compelling novel that explores the true meaning of family, Leaving Before It’s Over is masterful and provocative fiction from Jean Reynolds Page, the author of The Space Between Before and After and The Last Summer of Her Other Life. Fans of Jodi Picoult and Jacquelyn Mitchard will be moved and enthralled by Page’s Leaving Before It’s Over, as a 1970s family is thrown into turmoil when a previously unknown son and brother is brought into the fold.

From the author of The Space Between Before and After comes a compelling novel that explores the true meaning of family.

When Roy Vines married his wife, Rosalind, he traded his family and his inheritance for love—a painful choice that has blessed them with years of joy nestled in rural North Carolina with their beautiful daughters, sixteen-year-old Lola and little Janie Ray.

But their happiness is threatened when Rosalind suddenly falls ill. Desperate to get her the help she needs, Roy does the one thing he swore he'd never do—turn to his heartless and bitter identical twin brother, Mont, for help.

The price is steep—and includes opening their home to a teenage boy who believes Roy is the father who abandoned him. As bad blood threatens to destroy her family, Rosalind must make a difficult choice. Should she walk away—like Roy once did—for love, or try to mend wounds that may never be healed? And will the pain of choosing be more than her heart can bear?

“Pleasant....Page’s knack for characterization...helps nudge things toward an appropriately affirmative ending.” - Publishers Weekly on The Last Summer of Her Other Life

“Page portrays these past and present emotional quagmires with an acutely intuitive eye, drawing the reader into the complicated lives of her sympathetic characters.” - Booklist on The Space Between Before and After

“A complex, well-orchestrated family drama.” - Seattle Post-Intelligencer on The Space Between Before and After

“[A] complex, multi-layered book. [Page] seamlessly navigates the book’s intertwining narratives and presents believable characters, at once imperfect and utterly sympathetic. Both the story’s emotional pull and intricate plot twists are sure to seduce new readers.” - Publishers Weekly on The Space Between Before and After

“Rosalind and the children are remarkably portrayed.” - Publishers Weekly