Since We Fell
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | May 2017 |
| Founder | Dennis Lehane (author) |
| Products | Psychological thriller novel |
Since We Fell is a psychological thriller authored by American writer Dennis Lehane, released in May 2017.
Plot summary
Rachel Childs, once a print and television journalist, ends her professional journey following an on-air breakdown linked to her reporting on the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Subsequently, she develops agoraphobia and separates from Sebastian, a producer at her workplace. After eighteen months, Rachel weds Brian Delacroix, initially hired as a private investigator to locate her long-lost father.
The narrative opens with Rachel fatally shooting Brian, a flashforward that sets the stage for the unfolding events testing her second marriage.
Development
The novel’s title is inspired by the 1947 song "Since I Fell for You."
Lehane faced the significant task of creating an authentic female protagonist, marking his first novel entirely narrated from a woman’s perspective. To enhance credibility, he sought input from female readers. The book and its screenplay were developed independently. Drawing inspiration from John Irving's A Widow for One Year, Lehane expanded the initial 100 pages during his third draft to provide a richer background for Rachel.
Reception
In a review for The New York Times, Janet Maslin observed that the novel "is filled with indications that Lehane adapted this story for film, which he did in 2015, and that he admires Hitchcock’s suspenseful classics." Meanwhile, Neely Tucker of The Washington Post characterized it as "an engagingly complex character study and a love story unrushed in its telling."
Film adaptation
DreamWorks secured the movie rights following a competitive bidding process in summer 2015, while Lehane was still completing the manuscript. Upon finishing the novel, Lehane confirmed he would undertake writing the screenplay.