"One October night, when Jensen Reilly is sixteen, she and her high school sweetheart, Ryder, are involved in a horrible accident that kills her brother, Will. Ever since then Jensen has been running--from her past, from the Connecticut shoreline home she loved, to boarding school and then out west, where she dropped out of college to elope with her professor, a charismatic artist who takes her further from the unbearable secret that weighs her down. But when Jensen's lovable father, Sterling, is diagnosed with a brain tumor, she returns to her childhood home for her first extended visit in thirteen years, and the memories of her old life come flooding back--as do the people she's tried to escape. Torn between the life she's created in Sante Fe with her free-spirited husband, Nic, and the realization that it is time to face her past, Jensen must make a terrifying decision that threatens to change her life forever. Set against the steamy background of a New England summer and filled with the intensity of first love, Night Blindness is about risk and redemption, the sanctity of unbreakable friendships, and the ways we are hunted down by what we try to escape. Told with heart and humor and the sort of plot destined to keep readers turning pages late at night, this remarkable debut marks the start of a talented career for Susan Strecker"--
I won an ARC of this novel courtesy of the GoodReads First Reads programme. This review in its entirety was originally posted at caffeinatedlife.net: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2014/09/24/review-night-blindness/
At first I wasn’t entirely sure what to really expect from this novel; by the first two-three chapters, you get a general idea of where the novel was heading and what happened that led to Will’s death and Jensen to move as far away from home as she could. Certain elements seemed pretty predictable, but what made the novel compelling was Jensen’s journey towards confronting old memories and her old life in Connecticut, and ultimately come to terms with what happened and essentially forgive herself.
It was really interesting to watch her reconnect with everyone at home, from her best friend Mandy to her tenuous relationship with her mother Jamie to her supportive and zen Uncle Luke and of course the bond that she and her father share. All of these relationships have different ebbs and elements to them, some obviously need a bit more work and communication (well, it was pretty much with Jamie, really), and it fleshes out a lot about Jensen’s life and how they fit and who she is. And of course there's Ryder ;)
Overall, I enjoyed reading Night Blindness, I could not put the book down once I really got into the story. Recommended for readers of contemporary titles who enjoy character conflict and the journey they take towards healing and happiness.
