That Was Then, This Is Now

''That Was Then, This Is Now'' is a coming-of age, young adult novel by S. E. Hinton, first published in 1971. Set in the 1960s, it follows the relationship between two brothers, Mark Jennings and Bryon Douglas, who are foster brothers, but find their relationship rapidly changing and deteriorating. The book was later adapted into a 1985 film starring Emilio Estevez and Craig Sheffer.

Plot

The novel is set in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the 1960s. Mark and Bryon have been living together as brothers since the death of Mark's parents. The two often spend time hanging out at the local bar and playing pool to earn money, along with a strange boy named M&M. The novel begins with Bryon's mother in the hospital getting surgery, which causes financial stress for the family. The boys are forced to look for jobs, but do not have much success. Bryon asks the bartender, Charlie, for a job but is refused because he is underage. Meanwhile, the financial strife at home grows worse and Bryon's mother is hospitalized again. Mark soon begins bringing in suspicious amounts of money at home, but does not tell Bryon where the money is coming from.

Soon, Bryon starts dating a girl named Cathy, who is M&M's sister. The pair attend a dance together, where Mark and Ponyboy Curtis get in a fight with a boy who Bryon's ex-girlfriend, Angela, told to beat the two up. Mark is injured on his head and gets stitches.

Later, Mark and Bryon decide they need money. They go to Charlie's bar and play pool, and in this game they beat two Texans. While leaving, the two Texans approach the boys in an alleyway and threaten them with a gun. Charlie comes out, saving the pair but simultaneously getting shot and killed.

The next few months, Bryon spirals and ponders about Charlie's death. Cathy tells Bryon about her worries and suspicions of M&M doing drugs while on a car ride. The pair pick up M&M as well as Mark, and go out to eat. While driving back, M&M requests to be dropped off at a specific location. Once out of the car, he says he's not coming home. Cathy resists, but Bryon assures her it is fine and they drive away, in hopes of coming back for him. Once back, they find M&M to be missing.

For the next few weeks, Cathy and Bryon stress about M&M's disappearance. After a night of drinking with Mark, Bryon reduces into drunk tears. Mark claims to know where M&M is, to which Bryon expresses hope. The next day, Mark takes Bryon to a “hippie house,” where he is known as Cat. The residents of the house claim to not have seen M&M for a few days, and the pair leave the house.

Previously, Bryon and Mark had picked up Angela, and while she was sleeping, Mark cut all her hair off as revenge for almost getting him killed. In the next week, Tim and Curly Shepard, Angela's brothers, beat up Bryon since they think he is the one who has done this. Cathy visits Bryon, and he tells her about the house.

Later, Bryon drives Cathy to the house in order to find M&M. They find him while he is in a high state; he yells and cries out frantically. After taking him to the hospital, the doctor says he may never return to how he was.

After Bryon returns home, he finds a bottle of pills under Mark's mattress. He comes to the conclusion that Mark is selling the drugs in order to make money. He calls the police, and confronts Mark.

Over the next few months, Bryon spirals. Cathy and he have broken up, and Mark is a reformatory, or juvenile detention. Without anyone in his life, Bryon regrets his past actions, including turning in Mark. He ponders about a life in which things were different, and wishes he was a kid again.

Connections to other books by S.E. Hinton

The book, like ''Rumble Fish'', takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Hinton's hometown and the setting of her first book, ''The Outsiders''. However, unlike ''Rumble Fish'', Ponyboy Curtis, the main character in ''The Outsiders'', appears in ''That Was Then, This Is Now'' and even takes part in the events surrounding the dance.

The characters of Tim and Curly Shepard from ''The Outsiders '' also appear, as does their sister Angela, who is original to ''That Was Then, This Is Now''. Randy, who was in ''The Outsiders'', also appears as a Hippie in this book, which is appropriate to those who have read or seen ''The Outsiders'', as Randy is an affluent kid who feels guilty about the class division and becomes repulsed by it. In ''Tex'', Mark and Cathy appear, who are original to ''That Was Then, This Is Now''.

Mark later appears as a hitchhiker, who has recently escaped from prison and killed multiple people. He forces Tex and Mason to drive him to the state line, holding them at gunpoint; he is killed soon after by the police.

Cathy appears as Tex's English teacher at school, Ms. Carlson. When Mark dies, she goes to his funeral, which makes Tex wonder why. When he asks her, Cathy says that they weren't exactly friends, but she knew him for a long time and they shared a past.

References

{{Hinton

1971 American novels
American bildungsromans
American novels adapted into films
American young adult novels
Novels by S. E. Hinton
Novels set in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Viking Press books