Blind Curve by Cara Sue Achterberg - FEB 2021
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Disclosure: An electronic copy of this book was provided in exchange for review by publishers Black Rose Writing, via Library Thing.
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A blind curve on a narrow road, the glare of early-morning sun, and a moment’s inattention are all it takes to end one life and put the teen driver and her family at risk of losing everything.
Sixteen-year-old Jess can’t remember the details of the accident, making it difficult-to-impossible to put up a legal defense. Thrust simultaneously into the spotlight of small-town gossip and the harsh judgment of social media, Jess and her single mom, Liz, struggle to bear the emotional and financial costs ahead of them.
Achterberg has peopled her novel with characters struggling to control forces that are simply beyond them. Liz is also distracted by a tenuous situation at work, by an emotionally and physically distant father struggling with the early stages of an age-related dementia, and by the uncertain relationship developing with her daughter’s lawyer. To complicate matters further, Jess’s father finally seems to be beginning to grow up and wants a second chance at putting the family back together again. Jess has to face the very real possibility that she could be sent to prison for vehicular manslaughter and the unavoidable destruction of the friendships she thought she had with her peers.
Actherberg definitely understands the inherent viciousness that erupts in a small town when one of its own crosses the line and decisions that should be made in private end up being thrashed out on editorial pages and Facebook posts. She also does a good job of tracing the parallels between Liz’ backstory and Jess’s current dilemma, both centering on an adolescent whose momentary bad judgment changes the course of her life.
The author has placed the outcome of the trial about three-fourths of the way into the book, acknowledging that the characters’ journeys aren’t over yet, and wraps things up with a somewhat open-ended but definitely hopeful conclusion.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A blind curve on a narrow road, the glare of early-morning sun, and a moment’s inattention are all it takes to end one life and put the teen driver and her family at risk of losing everything.
Sixteen-year-old Jess can’t remember the details of the accident, making it difficult-to-impossible to put up a legal defense. Thrust simultaneously into the spotlight of small-town gossip and the harsh judgment of social media, Jess and her single mom, Liz, struggle to bear the emotional and financial costs ahead of them.
Achterberg has peopled her novel with characters struggling to control forces that are simply beyond them. Liz is also distracted by a tenuous situation at work, by an emotionally and physically distant father struggling with the early stages of an age-related dementia, and by the uncertain relationship developing with her daughter’s lawyer. To complicate matters further, Jess’s father finally seems to be beginning to grow up and wants a second chance at putting the family back together again. Jess has to face the very real possibility that she could be sent to prison for vehicular manslaughter and the unavoidable destruction of the friendships she thought she had with her peers.
Actherberg definitely understands the inherent viciousness that erupts in a small town when one of its own crosses the line and decisions that should be made in private end up being thrashed out on editorial pages and Facebook posts. She also does a good job of tracing the parallels between Liz’ backstory and Jess’s current dilemma, both centering on an adolescent whose momentary bad judgment changes the course of her life.
The author has placed the outcome of the trial about three-fourths of the way into the book, acknowledging that the characters’ journeys aren’t over yet, and wraps things up with a somewhat open-ended but definitely hopeful conclusion.
