by Jane Corry
Have you read this book? I picked this one up at the airport. It is a good “light” read (light as in style and prose, not necessity the subject matter; I mean, it is, after all, about death).
The story is set in the aftermath of a horrific hit-and-run and delves into the consequences and repercussions for everyone involved.
Twenty years ago, on a quiet seaside road, Janie was riding her bike early in the morning when she was suddenly struck by a white van. But Janie did not die ( now, this isn’t a spoiler because the VERY first chapter is written in italics from Janie’s point of view). Horrifically, Janie remains in a comma, alone with only her thoughts and memories of the life she had led thus far.
The story is also about Robbie, a famous singer-songwriter and musician. Now Robbie is linked to Janie. You see, he was a passenger in the van that hit her all though years ago, and he is riddled with guilt, not just because he was riding in the vehicle involved in a hit and run, but because he knows who was driving and divulging that truth would put his and his family’s lives at risk.
The novel is written from alternating points of view: Janie, Robbie and a middle-aged woman named Vanessa. Now, Vanessa’s link to Janie is that her husband was one of the detectives assigned to find the person responsible for Janie’s injuries. Vanesa also serves as a victim’s advocate in court.
There is also a smattering of other characters with chapters written from their points of view, newspaper clippings of the case, diary entries and song lyrics.
This novel is a perfect vacation novel. It possesses simple themes of guilt, redemption, forgiveness and resilience. Short chapters, varying points of view and a plot filled with twists and turns and connections that, for the most part, the reader can’t see coming.
Ink And Spine 