Before We Were Strangers

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of sexual content and addiction.

Matt Shore is one of the protagonists and first-person narrators of the novel. The chapters that include Matt’s first name in the title are written from his first person perspective and trace episodes from his life and storyline. In the chapters set in the narrative present, Matt is 36, while in those chapters set in the past, Matt is in his early twenties.

Matt is a photographer with an artistic sensibility and a longing for love and connection. His parents are Aletha and Charles, and he has one brother named Alexander. While Matt has always had a close bond with Aletha, he has fraught relationships with both Charles and Alexander. Charles values money more than happiness and actively discourages Matt’s artistic pursuits. Alexander’s lifestyle aligns with Charles’s. Furthermore, Alexander is married to Matt’s ex, Monica, a relationship that has come between the brothers. Matt therefore feels like an outsider in his family. He knows his mom supports him but he also believes he must prove himself as a photographer to get his dad’s and brother’s approval.

Matt’s relationship with Grace contributes to his personal growth.