A teenage party, a few drinks and lots of fun, later a bad car accident and then late night phone calls- every parents nightmare. Waiting, waiting and praying for good news. Some get the news they wished so hard for, others don’t but there will be slow recovery and for two sets of parents it’s a longer waiting game and more prayers for life. One doesn’t make it. This is the scenario for this emotionally charged and very well written book. It is told in alternating perspectives by the driver, passengers and parents.
Although the characters are really well depicted, I was initially a bit overwhelmed by the number but once I had established who was who, it’s a great read. It captures the details of the accident extremely well through some flashbacks and police interviews and looks at the devastating impact on all those involved. We see the statistics regarding young drivers, we read or hear the news about crashes involving teenagers, we say how terrible, see the shrines at the side of the road but we move on. This book personalises the tragedy and makes you look more deeply and see how their lives are altered. The events of the night are revealed a bit at a time which I really like as you become invested in seeking the truth as it unfolds. I like how the aftermath is like a fly on the wall snapshot of each family’s home and how each of them is affected differently. The ICU is especially moving and there are brave decisions made. All of them suffer varying degrees of grief and pain, at times it is heartbreaking but it is compulsive reading. I like how after a while healing comes via a very dramatic and moving Restorative Justice meeting although the aftermath is not what you might expect after all the tension.
Although the characters are really well depicted, I was initially a bit overwhelmed by the number but once I had established who was who, it’s a great read. It captures the details of the accident extremely well through some flashbacks and police interviews and looks at the devastating impact on all those involved. We see the statistics regarding young drivers, we read or hear the news about crashes involving teenagers, we say how terrible, see the shrines at the side of the road but we move on. This book personalises the tragedy and makes you look more deeply and see how their lives are altered. The events of the night are revealed a bit at a time which I really like as you become invested in seeking the truth as it unfolds. I like how the aftermath is like a fly on the wall snapshot of each family’s home and how each of them is affected differently. The ICU is especially moving and there are brave decisions made. All of them suffer varying degrees of grief and pain, at times it is heartbreaking but it is compulsive reading. I like how after a while healing comes via a very dramatic and moving Restorative Justice meeting although the aftermath is not what you might expect after all the tension.