Will Allison (1) (1968–)

This book is a story of family, loss and (a little maybe) redemption.

The story is primarily about Holly, who's mother dies in a freak accident when Holly is young. Holly is then raised by her grandfather after her father disappears.

The book goes backward and forward in time, telling the story of Holly's parents, her own marriage and child, and a little of her grandparents' story.

This might have been a charming book, except I found none of the characters to be likeable or relatable. The book ends on a somewhat happy note, but is a bit abrupt. And I'm not sure there was any actual story arc.… (mais)

What would cause a seemingly normal father and husband to kill a young teen and assault a man? Glen Bauer, the narrator of this novel, wonders just that as he composes a letter to his daughter, Sara.

Glen is a CPA who runs an accounting home business. He, his wife, and their six-year-old daughter Sara live in New Jersey, in a suburb of New York City, where his wife works. Since he works out of their home, Glen is the primary parent to shuttle around Sara, putter around the household chores, and pick up his wife at the train station each day. Often aggravated with the irresponsible and reckless drivers who speed through their neighborhood, Glen impulsively decides to give one of them a scare as the teenager tears towards him and Sara in an expensive Jaguar. In a split second, the car veers out of Glen’s way and into a tree, killing the driver almost instantly. Although people from the neighborhood quickly surround the scene, no one saw exactly what happened.

This suspenseful book kept me turning the pages to find out what Glen would do when confronted with each new discovery. The unraveling of Glen and Liz’s marriage, and how it affects their daughter, is skillfully recounted, including the emotions and confusion that Glen feels. Although this is categorized as general fiction, I think it would appeal to the YA audience as well. Those young readers who enjoy Deb Caletti’s suspenseful fiction might enjoy this one.… (mais)

AUTHOR: ALLISON, Will
TITLE: What You Have Left
Date Read: 11/25/13
RATING: 4/B
GENRE/PUB DATE/PUBLISHER/# OF PGS: Fiction/2007/Free Press/210 pgs
SERIES/STAND ALONE: SA

TIME/PLACE: 1970's, 1990's & 2007/ South Carolina
CHARACTERS: Wylie Greer father to Holly; Lyle - Holly's husband

FIRST LINES: I was sentenced to life on my grandfather's dairy farm in the summer of 1976. The arrangement was supposed to be temporary, a month or so until my mother recovered from her water-skiing accident, but after one week, on the first day she was able to get out of her hospital bed & walk, a blood clot traveled up from her leg, blocked the vessels to her lungs, & killed her.

COMMENTS: A book that I had sitting on my shelf -- have no idea why/how I acquired it but @ one point someone must have recommended it or there was something that interested me, I don't recall what it was. The story jumps from Holly's early childhood in the 1970's when she was left w/ her grandfather after her father leaves shortly after the funeral of his wife/Holly's mother. Holly was never a character I could quite warm up to. I liked her in the beginning when she seemed to want to take care of her grandfather when he was diagnosed w/ Alzheimer's but I could never really see the bond between Holly & Lyle & why Lyle put up w/ all of Holly's issues. Holly does feel like something is missing and has tried over the years to contact her father & it isn't until her mid 30's that they finally connect.… (mais)