Publisher: Turner Publishing Company / Dreamscape Media
Published: June 15, 2021
Source: Print – ARC via Turner Publishing / Audio – via library
Summary:
When Angie is awakened by a midnight call from an officer with the Boise Police Department, she thinks there must be a misunderstanding. The officer tells her that her husband was involved in a shooting at a local bar, but how can that be possible when her husband is sleeping right next to her? Except when she turns to wake him, he isn’t there.
Tessa is the twenty-three-year-old bartender who escapes to a backroom storage closet during the shooting. When it comes to light that five people were killed, she is burdened with the question of why she survived.
Joyce wakes up to a knock at her front door, a knock she assumes is her wayward son, Jed, who must have lost his keys. It’s not Jed, though. Two police officers tell her that Jed is dead, shot at the bar. Then they deliver even worse news: “We have reason to believe your son was the shooter.”
So begins the story of three women tied together by tragic fate.
My thoughts:
As soon as I heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. I knew it would not necessarily be an easy read, but it was one that I know I will not be forgetting anytime soon.
This is an intense, thought-provoking read. It’s one of those books that you just cannot walk away from but at times, you just want to close your eyes and hope it isn’t really happening. Unfortunately shootings are happening all to frequently in this country and this book gives us a perspective that I haven’t seen yet.
The strength and power of this book lies in how it’s told. We have multiple perspectives that allow us to see the shooting from all sides – the shooter, the victims and the devastated families left behind on both sides. It’s nearly impossible not to be effected by this story in some way.
I have read other books that involve a mass shooting but none that have been as emotionally gripping as this one. It is such a layered, complex story that has such a psychological depth to it. I cannot recommend this one enough.
Audio thoughts:
This is one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to in a while, featuring a whole cast of narrators. They all did such an amazing job bringing this book to life, really making this an outstanding listening experience. If you are given the choice between print and audio, I would definitely go with the audio!
