THE ACCIDENT

Three teens reflect on the impact a single car collision has on their lives before and after the titular event in this introspective debut.

Before witnessing the accident and assisting the victims, 17-year-old Eliat was so tired of trying to stay in school while raising a toddler and adhering to her foster parents’ house rules that she nearly made the biggest mistake of her life. After breaking up with her boyfriend the night of the accident, Will’s older sister, Lauren, comes home after a long time away, and her re-entry into the family brings some sad and disturbing memories to light. Months later, Sarah is attempting to start over at a new school and rekindle her passion for art and photography after the accident that damaged her leg and killed her brother. While the structure of the novel is intriguing, the connections among the three characters are not always obvious and require careful reading to ferret out. In addition, Sarah’s and Will’s quiet, interior voices are not readily distinguishable from each other. Eliat’s character shows the most development of the three, and her arresting story serves as the impetus that pushes the otherwise subdued story forward. 

A thoughtful, philosophical novel for teens interested in or dealing with the aftereffects of trauma.