The first thought that comes to mind when I ponder this book is that just when I think that nothing else could possibly go wrong for this couple, it does. The story follows Caelum and Maureen Quirk, both staff at Columbine High School, through the tragedy of the shooting and the ensuing years as they struggle to come to terms with their emotional aftermath.I am really torn between listening to the other Wally Lamb book on my TBR or reading it in print, because I think that a good portion of what drew me into the story was the flawless narration of George Guidall, who also does Lamb's I Know This Much Is True. Every character gained such personality and presence through his skillful recitation, and I wonder if the writing would, on its own, be quite as powerful.
At times the story line seemed on the verge of going just that little bit beyond the realm of credibility, yet because I felt invested in the characters, I followed along out of curiosity.
As with several books that I have reviewed, I feel the need to post a language warning for this one: some might find the profanity a tad excessive. The author even apologized to his grandma in the endnote for his language, explaining to her that he felt it was necessary for character portrayal. Despite my dislike of this type of vocabulary, I would have to say that I agree with him in this case.
"just when I think that nothing else could possibly go wrong for this couple, it does" which is why wally lamb makes me want to hurt someone...esp. after reading _she's come undone_
ReplyDeleteI haven't read that one, but I know the basic gist of the story line and that it was depressing.
ReplyDeleteHis books are rather sad to me-seems as if no character gets a happily ever after.