Rocky is a devoted mom who just cannot help herself – she is anxiously devoted to her children in a way that manifests physically. Just as overwhelming as her love for them is her fear of harm befalling them. This anxiety only escalates when she learns of a fatal crash in which a local boy’s car is hit by a train. And the more Rocky learns about the details of the crash – and how close to home those details are – the more she suffers, both physically and emotionally.
While this novel centers around a truly horrifying event, the story is told by using clever, sarcastic, even comical dialogue. Even while Rocky is trying to cope with potentially paralyzing anxiety, she is also narrating with the running catastrophizing going on in her brain along with the witty dialogue she has with her husband, her kids, and even her father who has moved in to live with them since her mother’s recent death. It provides a way to create a story that is both tragic and accessible, as well as a book that is, in spite of the underlying tension, actually fun to read.
That said, I felt it is also somewhat anticlimactic. There is an enormous conflict that is created here, in trying to assess responsibility for the crash, prevention of future disasters. Yet, in my opinion, the author fails to fully resolve this; in a sense, copping out, forgiving everyone. I feel there might have been a more satisfying resolution here.
Either way, this book was interesting, with well-formed characters, and sharp, entertaining dialogue that held up throughout. A worthwhile read!
