Indeed.

Hey world! It's Wednesday on this side of the International Date Line, and you know what that means! It's time to review some books! I think I have three on the way today, but we'll see how that turns out. It will probably work out well since I have nothing to do today except eat, read, and maybe juggle. But in the meantime, I've got this blog, and now I'm just rambling to make this introduction longer.

So, I think it was last Thursday that I finished reading this book called The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks, who does not appear to have his own website, but does have a cool name with two separate instances of double consonants. I think that makes up for a lack of snazzy - or any - website that I can find. This book was made into a movie that I have not seen and probably never will. I think it's rated R, but now I finally know why that random picture is on the cover of the edition I read. I guess I won't complain about it later now. 

Summaryish: Told from the perspectives of four narrators, the story of a tragic school bus accident that kills a lot of the children in a small town and the grief and lawsuits and things that come after. I think it was based on a true story, but I'm not sure. And that's all I can really say about it.

Review: I was expecting to be a little bored with this book, considering how acclimatized to science fiction I am, but I really enjoyed it. The story is driven more by the characters than an actual plot, which was new and interesting for me, and I really enjoyed seeing the different ways people grieve and cope, and there was even some perspective from an outsider. It had really strong themes of grief and blame. It's a pretty heavy book that demands thought. You can't just read it and put it down; it sticks with you. And I admire that, and the way each narrator added something new to the story and themes. Bravo.

I just spent several minutes trying to come up with a last paragraph, but I couldn't! I was going to complain about the cover, which I didn't like, but now that I know it refers back to the movie, I can't do that! Sorry to disappoint you.

Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
Anonymous Book Reviewer.