Long Drive Home, Will Allison
What would cause a seemingly normal father and husband to kill a young teen and assault a man? Glen Bauer, the narrator of this novel, wonders just that as he composes a letter to his daughter, Sara.
Glen is a CPA who runs an accounting home business. He, his wife, and their six-year-old daughter Sara live in New Jersey, in a suburb of New York City, where his wife works. Since he works out of their home, Glen is the primary parent to shuttle around Sara, putter around the household chores, and pick up his wife at the train station each day. Often aggravated with the irresponsible and reckless drivers who speed through their neighborhood, Glen impulsively decides to give one of them a scare as the teenager tears towards him and Sara in an expensive Jaguar. In a split second, the car veers out of Glen’s way and into a tree, killing the driver almost instantly. Although people from the neighborhood quickly surround the scene, no one saw exactly what happened.
This suspenseful book kept me turning the pages to find out what Glen would do when confronted with each new discovery. The unraveling of Glen and Liz’s marriage, and how it affects their daughter, is skillfully recounted, including the emotions and confusion that Glen feels. Although this is categorized as general fiction, I think it would appeal to the YA audience as well. Readers who enjoy Deb Caletti’s suspenseful fiction might enjoy this one.
