The Accident by Gillian Jackson
Genre: Suspense, Drama
Read: 10th April 2020
Purchase: Amazon
(publication date: 27th January 2020)
★★★★ 4 stars
The premise sounded interesting but this book was nothing like I expected. Billed as a thriller, THE ACCIDENT really isn't a thriller. It's more like a suspenseful drama...but definitely NOT a thriller. As it was billed as such, I kept expecting something to jump out of nowhere with a shock surprise...but nothing like that happened. In fact, the story was a little predictable. But it was still a good quick read.
It's February 2018 and the UK is gripped by a deep winter freeze with snow and rain creating icy conditions on the road and making driving a real hazard. Navigating rush hour traffic is even worse with bumper to bumper traffic and snow, rain and black ice...it only takes a moment for an accident to occur.
Hannah Graham is on her way to a meeting and is on the on-ramp to the motorway. Joe Parker, also on his way to work, is driving his wife Alison to her mother's on the way. Alan Jones is driving his 15 year old son Timmy to his orthodontist appointment. All three families are about to have their lives changed forever in the blink of an eye.
Hannah is navigating the icy ramp when her car suddenly loses control and as she tries to correct it, the car turns swiftly into the rear end of a lorry. Facing back the way she came and in a daze, Hannah sees a Range Rover barrelling towards her, the shocked expressions of Joe and Alison Parker a mirror of her own as their car rams into hers. Hannah is knocked unconscious while Joe feels the thump, thump, thump of the cars behind him hitting his and each other.
The result...a multi-car pile up leaving three dead and Hannah in a coma.
Hannah wakes up in hospital three days later, her husband Mike by her side. She has no memory of the accident and her leg so badly damaged it had to be amputated. She is shocked to learn of the devastation of the accident and secretly wonders if she were at fault. After all, she can't remember what happened so who's to say she wasn't to blame? Then when her husband announces he wants a divorce to marry his pregnant girlfriend, Hannah is shocked and their teenage twin children angry at their father. With the help and support of her children and her good friend and neighbour Rosie, Hannah attempts to put the past behind her and move on with her life. But at the back of her mind she still wonders if she was to blame for the accident.
Joe Parker suffered minor injuries and a fracture collarbone but his wife Alison was killed instantly. He is devastated and cannot imagine a life without her. If not for the kindness and care of his neighbours, Phil and Helen, and the love of his dog Liffey, Joe may not have overcome the grief of losing his wife. Then life takes on a more complicated turn when his estranged brother David and his wife Pam turn up at Alison's funeral with a strange request, setting of a sequence of events so far out of his control.
Alan and Cassie Jones's son Timothy was the apple of their eye. Having been unsuccessful at falling pregnant in the past when Timmy came along he was like a gift to them. When early tests revealed he had Downs Syndrome early in her pregnancy, Alan and Cassie refused to terminate and the end result was a beautiful, loving and happy boy. Timmy had such a love for animals that after his death Alan and Cassie chose to honour their son's memory by creating an animal sanctuary for abandoned and abused animals called "Timmy's Farm".
It was at the open day for "Timmy's Farm" that Hannah and Joe meet again for the first time since they were both in hospital. They talk about the accident which changed both their lives dramatically and find an ease with each other as only those involved could understand.
Then comes the inquest which ultimately returns its verdict.
Told from two perspectives, Hannah and Joe's, THE ACCIDENT is a story of the aftermath of a life-changing trauma as the families wrestle with the emotional turmoil of putting their lives back together. There is a lot going on for all involved as the lives of each family come together and intertwine in the wake of their grief.
A short quick read, THE ACCIDENT is an addictive page turner with a steady pace about ordinary people in an extraordinary life changing situation. It is predictable and yet it is still enjoyable. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting!
It is not an action-packed thriller with unreliable narrators and shocking plot twists. It is a story about the lives of three families that are infinitely changed forever in the blink of an eye and its aftermath. There are a few twists but nothing shocking, some predictable and overall enjoyable. I liked pretty much everyone except for Mike and Joe's witch of a mother in law Ethel.
My second book by Gillian Jackson, THE ACCIDENT is definitely not what I expected. It is not a thriller...more of a suspenseful drama. The ending was wrapped up nicely in the Epilogue giving it that satisfying sense of closure.
Enjoyable short read that could be read in one sitting. Recommended.
I would like to thank #GillianJackson, #NetGalley and #SapereBooks for an ARC of #TheAccident in exchange for an honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment