The deception of appearances

Not everyone or everything is as they first appear to be, argues Noah Hawley in his novel Before the Fall. Appearances can be deceiving and can be misleading in the pursuit of the truth. This is as true of situations and information as it is of individual people.

A seemingly straightforward cast at the beginning of the novel turns out not to be so. David Bateman, millionaire conservative, defies the common stereotype of a wealthy, heartless Republican. David is very warm, very moral, and very compassionate–especially to his family. Ben Kipling, under indictment, is likewise not a heartless person determined to be rich no matter the cost, but has simply lost moral focus in pursuit of wealth–and is very much human in his overreach. Bill Cunningham is loud, blustery, and determined to do anything to get to the truth in large...