The Sweet Hereafter (Picador Books)

by Russell Banks

When fourteen children from the small town of Sam Dent are lost in a tragic accident, its citizens are confronted with one of life’s most difficult and disturbing questions: When the worst happens, whom do you blame, and how do you cope? Masterfully written, it is a large-hearted novel that brings to life a cast of unforgettable small-town characters and illuminates the mysteries and realities of love as well as grief.

The Sweet Hereafter was released as a major motion picture by Atom Egoyan in 1997 and won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. Egoyan also received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay that year.

• ISBN10: 0099268809
• ISBN13: 9780099268802
• Publish Date: 25 September 1997 (first published 1 September 1991)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 14 April 2005
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Vintage
• Edition: New edition
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[jamiereadthis]

Well, John Warner must be psychic or prescient or some kind of book-divining guru because this was just my thing. A broken, sweet study of a small town; the microcosm of tragedy without a hint of melodrama; sad, yes, but the Graham Greene kind of sadness, reflective and irresolute.

I should also add that I would have never picked this up if not for the recommendation, so Mr. Warner, wherever you may be: I owe you one.

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3/24/10: My personal John Warner recommendation via today’s Tournament of Books roundup. As long as it’s light on the melodrama, it does look intriguing.