Helpful Score: 3
Ellen Banks is a high school teacher who is spending the last weekend in summer, before the start of the school year, with her two sons at a friend's lake house. This is a ritual they have followed for many years. Unfortunately what starts out as a lazy summer day ends in tragedy with Ellen's son James being hit by a jet skier and suffering a catastrophic brain injury. So begins Ellen's journey into the unthinkable, the loss of a child.
Larsen expertly weaves a tale of unbearable tragedy. Step by step we walk with Ellen, as she transfers her eleven year old son to the hospital, through the air lift to another medical center, surgery and the heart breaking decision to take James off life support. We are one with Ellen as she tries to comprehend what has happened to her, as she tries to be strong for her remaining child, Daniel, himself only thirteen. We understand her anguish as she decides to donate James' organs, although the deed offers her no solace. We watch as she collapses, crawls into bed, weeps and goes through the motions. All the while Ellen's sole objective is to get justice for James by bringing the boy who caused his death to trial for manslaughter.
This is what my mom used to call a âthree hankie tear jerker'. I cried so much at some points I had to put the book down. Although I had some minor problems with the book, overall it was engrossing, heart breaking and ultimately uplifting. Knowing someone who lost her teen age son to a similar accident it was a slice of real life for me, and a book I'll not soon forget.
Larsen expertly weaves a tale of unbearable tragedy. Step by step we walk with Ellen, as she transfers her eleven year old son to the hospital, through the air lift to another medical center, surgery and the heart breaking decision to take James off life support. We are one with Ellen as she tries to comprehend what has happened to her, as she tries to be strong for her remaining child, Daniel, himself only thirteen. We understand her anguish as she decides to donate James' organs, although the deed offers her no solace. We watch as she collapses, crawls into bed, weeps and goes through the motions. All the while Ellen's sole objective is to get justice for James by bringing the boy who caused his death to trial for manslaughter.
This is what my mom used to call a âthree hankie tear jerker'. I cried so much at some points I had to put the book down. Although I had some minor problems with the book, overall it was engrossing, heart breaking and ultimately uplifting. Knowing someone who lost her teen age son to a similar accident it was a slice of real life for me, and a book I'll not soon forget.
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