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A review by safekeeper
Night Road by Kristin Hannah
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Gonna be some spoilers ahead.
Overall, I found this a surprisingly riveting listen, I almost couldn't put it down. It wasn't what I expected (my other Kristin Hannah books are Nightingale and The Great Alone, so I was expecting something a bit more dramatic), and it was pretty heavy-handed at times, but I really enjoyed it overall.
The depictions of grief and loss were believable and felt like they were based on real experiences. Not sure if it was realistic how Lexi ended up with so much of the blame for what happened in the accident (not calling home was a decision they made together, and she only got behind the wheel because Zack, who was way more drunk, was dead set on driving drunk and Lexi couldn't talk him out of it, and she probably crashed only because Zack and Mia were acting out and distracting her), but maybe that's just the kind of irrational thinking that follows a great loss. I also found it kind of unrealistic how quickly Jude made a 180° turn and went form being terrified of Lexi to letting her back into their lives once she started talking to her, and I wish Kristin Hannah wouldn't have skipped over most of Lexi's time in prison. I'd be interested in reading about her descent into, and recover from, drugs, and the other trouble she got into. In fact, this story would've probably benefitted from being told over two books.
Overall, though, I'm glad I listened to this book, but at the same time, while I've listened to The Great Alone twice and I know I will go back to it again, I don't feel a need to revisit Night Road.
Overall, I found this a surprisingly riveting listen, I almost couldn't put it down. It wasn't what I expected (my other Kristin Hannah books are Nightingale and The Great Alone, so I was expecting something a bit more dramatic), and it was pretty heavy-handed at times, but I really enjoyed it overall.
The depictions of grief and loss were believable and felt like they were based on real experiences. Not sure if it was realistic how Lexi ended up with so much of the blame for what happened in the accident (not calling home was a decision they made together, and she only got behind the wheel because Zack, who was way more drunk, was dead set on driving drunk and Lexi couldn't talk him out of it, and she probably crashed only because Zack and Mia were acting out and distracting her), but maybe that's just the kind of irrational thinking that follows a great loss. I also found it kind of unrealistic how quickly Jude made a 180° turn and went form being terrified of Lexi to letting her back into their lives once she started talking to her, and I wish Kristin Hannah wouldn't have skipped over most of Lexi's time in prison. I'd be interested in reading about her descent into, and recover from, drugs, and the other trouble she got into. In fact, this story would've probably benefitted from being told over two books.
Overall, though, I'm glad I listened to this book, but at the same time, while I've listened to The Great Alone twice and I know I will go back to it again, I don't feel a need to revisit Night Road.