Night Road
From Kristin Hannah, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the smash-hit novels Firefly Lane, The Nightingale, and The Four Winds comes a novel about how one reckless night destroys the lives of three teenagers and their families.
For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her children's needs above her own, and it shows--her twins, Mia and Zach, are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close-knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude. Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia's best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable. Jude does everything to keep her kids out of harm's way. But senior year of high school tests them all. It's a dangerous, explosive season of drinking, driving, parties, and kids who want to let loose. And then on a hot summer's night, one bad decision is made. In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything. In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget...or the courage to forgive. Vivid, universal, and emotionally complex, Night Road raises profound questions about motherhood, identity, love, and forgiveness. It is a luminous, heartbreaking novel that captures both the exquisite pain of loss and the stunning power of hope. This is Kristin Hannah at her very best, telling an unforgettable story about the longing for family, the resilience of the human heart, and the courage it takes to forgive the people we love. "You cannot read Night Road and not be affected by the story and the characters. The total impact of the book will stay with you for days to come after it is finished." --The Huffington PostBUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
This book has everything a good story needs - a poor dark-haired girl who meets up with blonde, rich kids and becomes part of their family only to dive into a tragedy that will change all their lives forever. The novel is hard to put down as Hannah draws you into the story. She pulls hard on emotions throughout the pages and asks the reader to imagine what they would do in such a conflict. Is morality or the rules we live by suspended if we are rich? Is the "morally right thing to do" a stupid action in this world. These are the questions the author forces us to confront. The first part of the novel is every mother's nightmare. The last part is a look at how we are redeemed. The book premise is very real and tragic; however, I found the ending of the book a bit unrealistic.
“Jude was a mother, first, last, and always.” Her husband “accused her of being the helicopter parent, all noise and movement, hovering too close to her children, but if that were true, he was a satellite, positioned so far up in the sky he needed a high-powered telescope to track the goings-on in his own home.” When Lexi arrives at school, both her twins are smitten–Lexi becomes Mia’s best friend and Zach’s girlfriend. Although Lexi is a foster child living in her aunt’s trailer house, “She didn’t want to be that kind of woman, the kind who judged a person by his or her circumstance.” Lexi becomes an honorary member of the Farradays until a tragic accident severs the family and Lexi’s “whole life would not be divided into two parts: before she’d killed her best friend, and after.”
“I drank, and I drove, and I killed my best friend. My lawyer tells me that guilt or innocence is a question of law, but he’s wrong. How can I atone? That’s the real question. I can’t…I can only pay for it.” The father offers forgiveness; the mother seeks justice. But “justice and revenge are two different things.” And Grace is born in the midst of tragedy. Lexi gives up her freedom and her daughter–but still Jude wants more.
“Is that when…she gave up the right to be a mother? When she went to prison? Or when she killed your daughter?” Either way, Jude insists that Lexi is an unfit mother. But “What you did isn’t the sum total of who you are…It’s about Grace.” Zach shouldn’t have drunk that night, Lexi shouldn’t have driven, and Jude shouldn’t have let them go. In a way, all bear the burden of responsibility.
“People think love is an act of faith…Sometimes it’s an act of will….Love is a choice you make…In a sea of grief, there were islands of grace, moments in time when one could remember what was left rather than all that had been lost…What mattered was that they had survived and there was still love…Everything else was a postscript.”
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