Last November, there was a terrible car accident on Whidbey Island in Washington. An 18 year old girl was driving late at night when she made an illegal pass, lost control, and slammed in to a tree. The car burst in to flames. She was pulled from the car by two friends. Three young men were not so lucky. They died.
Hours after the accident, the young girl driving the car was arrested. She had been drinking. She drove. She crashed. She killed three of her best friends. And she nearly destroyed her own life as well. In April, she was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison.
A story like this is any parent's worst nightmare. I don't know anything about the young girl who was responsible for the crash that night. She may have been a perfect student and a loyal friend. She may have loved softball or dogs or reading. She may have always done everything right and simply made one mistake on one night. Or perhaps she had had a difficult young life that lead her to make a series of irresponsible decisions that led to one horrific night. And I don't know much about the young men who died that night. I know one was a talented baseball player and, by all accounts, a loving and joyful son, brother, and friend. What made that young man decide to get in a car driven by a drunk friend?
Parents are never meant to outlive their children. We try our hardest to teach them right from wrong, we beg them to avoid the dangers in life, we plead with them to make good choices. But what happens when good kids make bad choices? What happens when the life you have so carefully crafted and nurtured and fussed over suddenly shatters because of one single lousy night that you can't take back?
Parents are never meant to outlive their children. We try our hardest to teach them right from wrong, we beg them to avoid the dangers in life, we plead with them to make good choices. But what happens when good kids make bad choices? What happens when the life you have so carefully crafted and nurtured and fussed over suddenly shatters because of one single lousy night that you can't take back?
Such is the tale in Kristin Hannah's Night Road.
I should preempt this review by saying that I am a huge Kristin Hannah fan. I've read most of her books and loved them all. One of the things I enjoy most about her books is that they all take place somewhere in Washington (where Hannah herself resides). Sometimes I will find myself somewhere in this beautiful state and I'll feel as though I'm in a Kristin Hannah novel. And though I have enjoyed each Kristin Hannah book that I have read, certain novels of hers do stand out as exceptional. Night Road is one such exceptional novel.
In Night Road we met Jude Farraday, the semi-smothering but well-intentioned mother of twins - Mia and Zach. Jude is the quintessential devoted mother. Her and her doctor husband have a large and lovely home with a perfectly manicured garden that has always welcomed Mia and Zach's friends. She has devoted her life to raising smart, responsible, loving children, at times at the expense of other equally important aspects of her life.
Night Road begins as the twins enter high school. Whereas Zach has always been handsome and popular, Mia has struggled with typical teenage girl woes. But life takes an unexpected and delightful turn for Mia when she meets Lexi, a girl who has grown up in foster care and has only recently moved to Washington to live with an aunt she never knew she had. Mia and Lexi become fast friends and, when Zach falls in love with Lexi, the three become the closer than ever. Jude welcomes Lexi in to their family and Lexi finds the love she never thought she'd have.
Night Road begins as the twins enter high school. Whereas Zach has always been handsome and popular, Mia has struggled with typical teenage girl woes. But life takes an unexpected and delightful turn for Mia when she meets Lexi, a girl who has grown up in foster care and has only recently moved to Washington to live with an aunt she never knew she had. Mia and Lexi become fast friends and, when Zach falls in love with Lexi, the three become the closer than ever. Jude welcomes Lexi in to their family and Lexi finds the love she never thought she'd have.
Then along comes a night that changes everything forever. The shocking part of Night Road is not what happens one terrible night. That is fairly predictable. But what is startling is how differently and how deeply it affects everyone involved. Some are devastated by grief but still able to find forgiveness in their hearts. Others are nearly destroyed, wasting away in anger and guilt and resentment. When reading Night Road, you can't help but put yourself in Jude's shoes. How would it feel to lose so much? How would you begin to look beyond that pain, to move forward, to keep living? To forgive? Hannah conveys Jude's pain in a very raw, deeply emotional way. One page I want to shake her and tell her to stop being so hurtful and despondent. And the next page I am sobbing and completely understanding how hollow she feels.
Reading Night Road was a very emotional, gripping experience. I found it difficult to put down and, once I finally did, it haunted me for days to follow. Sometimes a book can tell a full and complete tale and yet still leave you wanting more. Night Road did that for me. I just was not ready to let go.
Reading Night Road was a very emotional, gripping experience. I found it difficult to put down and, once I finally did, it haunted me for days to follow. Sometimes a book can tell a full and complete tale and yet still leave you wanting more. Night Road did that for me. I just was not ready to let go.
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