by Laura Moriarty - undifferentiated
First published 2013
Leigh Churchill had always pictured herself as the kind of mother her daughter could turn to for anything. She planned to offer advice and understanding when Kara needed it most. That vision crumbles when eighteen-year-old Kara drives home from school one summer day and strikes a classmate, killing her instantly. The accident destroys more than one life. It fractures the already strained bond between Leigh and her fiercely independent daughter. The small town of Hazelton watches and judges as the Churchill family struggles with the aftermath. Kara must confront the terrifying reality that she has taken someone's life. Leigh faces an impossible question: how can she protect a daughter who may be beyond saving? The crisis forces both women to examine what they mean to each other and what they're willing to sacrifice when everything falls apart.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-drama, grief, parent-child-relationship
Setting: Hazelton
310 pages · Kindle Edition · Penguin
Content warnings: death