It seems that I’ve been reading novels lately that start with a fatal car accident and then go off in interesting directions from there. Here are three very different but equally entertaining titles that I recently finished.
Bird in Hand by Christina Baker Kline
Alison is driving home from a friend’s book publishing party in New York City when she has an accident which leaves a boy dead. Although she didn’t cause the accident, she’s haunted by guilt and finds her husband Charlie strangely unsupportive and distant. As the novel evolves, the story of her marriage and her author friend’s marriage bounces back and forth in time, revealing a complicated past and present.
Life Without Summer by Lynne Reeves Griffin
Writer Tessa is consumed with grief when her daughter Abby, who was playing outside at her preschool, is killed by a hit and run driver. In an effort to cope with her pain, she starts meeting with a therapist whose journal entries intertwine with the ones written by Tessa and tell the parallel story of her family struggles. As the two stories evolve, the bond between the women grows and their lives become defined by the search for the guilty driver.
Blame by Michelle Huneven
History professor Patsy MacLemoore is convicted of hitting a mother and daughter in her driveway while driving drunk and is sent to jail. The book follows her struggle to come to terms with her terrible guilt and to rebuild her life after serving a 2-year sentence. The ordeal and the commitment to sobriety make Patsy a kinder and more thoughtful person who works hard to be good and create a more meaningful life.
Michelle Huneven's website.
