Before I Say Good-bye continually alternates point of view, introducing more than a dozen characters with a broad scope of psychological profiles. Fascinated by human psychology, Clark designs detailed character biographies for all of her characters, though she focuses on some more than others. This novel focuses predominantly on the community surrounding Nell, who, as the novel's central character, is the most psychologically rich. An independent and intelligent woman with political prospects, she is also vulnerable. Orphaned as a young girl, she is a lonely woman. Although she was raised with love by her grandfather Mac and Aunt Gert, they are her only family. Throughout the novel, she noticeably lacks a female community of friends. Eventually we learn that she had married Adam after a whirlwind romance in order to fill this void in her life. Mac and Gert, who are exact psychological opposites, influence Nell differently, though...