Bibliographic Information
Title: Before the Devil Knows You’re Here
Authors: Autumn Krause
Narrators: Shawn K. Jain, Victoria Villarreal
Publisher: Books on Tape/Listening Library
Copyright Date: October 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780593822289
Genre
Horror
Format
Audiobook
Running Time
6 hours, 39 minutes
Reading Level/Interest Level
Grades 8-12 (per Booklist)
Awards or Honors
None for the book or audio as of the date of this post.
Plot Summary
“He watches while you die, and his birds sing a song. Normally, those birds sound mighty ferocious but, as you fade, they sound sweet. You die with apple on your lips, music in your ears, and his image before your eyes.” (Chapter 2; 33:57 mark)
Before the Devil Knows You’re Here follows two different timelines and points of view. John is desperate to make something of himself for his wife and young family. On the brink of financial ruin, he makes a deal with a man known only as “the banker” – a deal that ultimately costs John his family…and his soul. John is left to wander across the land and through the years, searching for a way to end his curse.
Catalina lives on the brink of starvation with her Pa and brother Jose Luis in the wilds of 1836 Wisconsin. When the Man of Sap – a creature straight from horror stories – kills her father and kidnaps her brother, Catalina must gather all her courage to hunt him down and rescue Jose Luis. She soon meets up with Paul, who is also hunting the Man of Sap, and the two encounter a host of dangerous and strange beings on their perilous journey.
John and Catalina’s stories converge in a frightening, surprising, heart-wrenching conclusion where only one of them will survive.
Author Background
Three words you’re likely to find in any biography of Alison Krause include macabre, morbid, and magic. She loves stories spun with any of these qualities and finds her imagination most at home with them. She’s the author of two Young Adult books: A Dress for the Wicked and Before the Devil Knows You’re Here. She currently haunts Orange County, California, with her husband and two children (Autumn Krause, 2024).
Critical Evaluation
Krause doesn’t waste any time dropping her readers right into the middle of the action in Before the Devil Knows You’re Here. It’s a little disorienting at first, especially since the alternating points of view are told in the first-person past (John) and the third-person present (Catalina). But Krause’s lyrical writing and the intriguing premise of a man who sells his soul and another who haunts the woods of Wisconsin soon put the reader on the edge of their seat.
John comes across as a sober, almost morose narrator, while Catalina is full of fire and purpose. Krause weaves their stories together using a dizzying mash-up of mythology, American tall tales, Mexican poetry, and folklore. It’s a fun surprise when Catalina meets up with Paul Bunyan, and their banter and blossoming romance is sweet to read. There are plenty of scary, ghoulish elements here, too – blood and weeping and talons and pain. But Krause softens the horror – or heightens it, maybe? – with themes of family and the power of words.
The audio production for Before the Devil Knows You’re Here was a mixed experience. Narrator Victoria Villarreal does an excellent job with Catalina’s chapters, especially with the Spanish pronunciations and bringing Catalina’s Mexican-American heritage to life. Narrator Shawn K. Jain’s work in John’s chapters is disjointed; he over-exaggerates the French accent for John’s wife Marguerite, making her sound foolish, and plays “the banker” more like an enthusiastic carnival worker than the Devil himself.
Still, hearing Krause’s beautiful symbolism and metaphors read aloud is a treat and helps to create the spellbinding experience of Before the Devil Knows You’re Here.
Creative Use for a Library Program
A library program could help youth examine the variety of storytelling methods and histories used in Before the Devil Knows You’re Here—from Greek myth (The Three Apples) to Mexican poetry (from author Sor Juan de la Cruz), and Bible stories (the Tree of Life) to American tall tales (Johnny Appleseed and Paul Bunyan). Youth could then choose a method for writing and sharing their own story with others.
Speed-Round Talk
The monstrous Man of Sap has been planting his poisonous apples and leaving death and terror in his wake. Now he has Catalina’s brother, and she must face the horrors of the woods to find him and kill the Man to end his curse for good.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation
Many people do not like the idea of youth reading horror, and I can imagine pushback to the creepy, bloody elements of Before the Devil Knows You’re Here. The professional development website Teen Librarian Toolbox has published helpful articles about why teens should read horror; two of them can be found HERE and HERE. Book Riot adds to the conversation with its own post asking Why Should Children Read Dark Books?
Reason for Inclusion
Before the Devil Knows You’re Here features a strong female Mexican-American protagonist, which provides valuable representation. It also celebrates the power of story, a balm for imaginative youth who find their home in words. Finally, as an entry in the horror genre, it’s a valuable way for today’s teens to experience a “safe scare” (MacGregor, 2021) and learn how to deal with fear.
To be...read/watched/played/heard 
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