Review: Night Road by Kristin Hannah (audio book)

From the back of the audio case: 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 on track for college and out of harm’s way. It has always been easy – until senior year of high school. Suddenly she is at a loss. Nothing feels safe anymore; every time Mia and Zach leave the house, she worries about them.

On a hot summer’s night her worst fears are realized. One decision will change the course of their lives. 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.

Read by: Kathleen McInerney

My thoughts: This was an emotional, captivating read that tells the story of how one event in the lives of young people can end up causing heartbreaking devastation for family, friends, and entire communities. It is a story about acceptance, love, anger, loss and ultimately forgiveness.

For Jude Farraday, her whole life has been dedicated to her family- specifically her two twins Zach and Mia. However, while Zach is the king of his grade, Mia has always shied away from crowds. Everything changes when Lexie moves to town during the twin’s freshman year of high school, though. Scared yet brave, Lexie quickly finds herself part of the Farraday family- another daughter to Jude, a best friend to Mia, and possibly “something more” to Zach. As the years continue, the bond only grows strong…until one horrific accident. Faced with sudden and bone chilling tragedy, everything changes between them all, landing one in jail and the rest in emotional distress. 

This is one of those book that makes you have internal conversations with yourself – “How would I have acted in this situation?”  I know how I’d want to act and how I think I’d act and I hope if I’m ever tested I can follow through. I found myself rooting for all the characters at one point or another in the story and believe this is one of those stories that will stay with me for a long time.

I have read quite a few books by Kristin Hannah and find that each one is fantastic in it’s own way. She has a way of drawing the reader in and telling a story with memorable yet relatable characters. Listening to this was quite an experience as I think it’s the first audio book that I actually cried during. I couldn’t wait to get back in the car just to find out what would happen next and I actually brought the disks in the house to listen to quite a few times because I needed to hear more.

(I borrowed this audio book from the library.)