And Sometimes Why by Rebecca Johnson, 320 pages
Even though the subject matter is depressing - a family dealing with the aftermath of an accident - this book is not. The beginning of the book overcomes the "tragic" label with a fascinating look at the McMartin family dynamic. I think this novel does a few things well, there is a restraint in the pain of the characters that keeps them from becoming cliches, and it moves briskly. However, there are other characters too and I couldn't help but think it seemed like a cross between A Dive from Clausen's Pier and Grand Canyon - one, a book about hard choices and unpopular decisions; the other, a movie where all the stories have a connection. I also found that I wasn't forming a strong attachment to any of the characters; I felt like a casual observer. So the first hundred pages were a 4, the middle a 2, the last chapter a 4. I thought the ending revived the story, and was a refreshing resolution that wasn't neat&tidy but did give closure. This is the first novel for the author, an editor at Vogue, and I would be curious to read her next one. Overall, I give it 3 stars.
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