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lnocita 's review for:
Little Mercies
by Heather Gudenkauf
Ellen is married with three young children and a demanding career as a social worker. Her waking hours are often consumed by a job that refuses to be left at the office. Her husband is a teacher and coach. A quick read about a family caught up in the ordinary but absolute busy-ness of day to life where a single distracted moment can lead to tragedy.
An okay read. I was touched by the reality of a single moment or lack of attention that could upend your world. However, I found it to be a little unbelievable. Charges are filed and wheels set in motion before anyone actually actually interviews Ellen to find out what happened or the chain of events that led up to the accident. She goes immediately to the hot seat. In order for there to be a story, however, this had to be the case. One thing Piccoult does in her novels, is cast the protagonist in a suspicious light, however subtly. Black and white become muddled and you as the reader begin to examine the story from different perspectives, questioning your own beliefs. Had Gudenkauf employed this technique, it would have made the story more compelling and given it some depth. There are a couple of moments where she aims for this but falls short. Adam, the husband, holds onto blame in the form of veiled comments, Joe, the officer, could be more than a friend, and her colleagues don't rally to her defense, distant after a high profile case which she lost but can't let go of her doubts and suspicions. But aside from these slight aspersions, there's nothing to cast any substantial reasonable doubt that Ellen really is what she appears to be: a loving wife, a devoted mother, and a caring, compassionate do-gooder and the accident is just that, a tragic accident not caused by indifference, abuse, nor neglect. I never had a sense that the outcome would be anything but happy for Ellen, her family, and Jenny, who was definitely my favorite character in the book.
An okay read. I was touched by the reality of a single moment or lack of attention that could upend your world. However, I found it to be a little unbelievable. Charges are filed and wheels set in motion before anyone actually actually interviews Ellen to find out what happened or the chain of events that led up to the accident. She goes immediately to the hot seat. In order for there to be a story, however, this had to be the case. One thing Piccoult does in her novels, is cast the protagonist in a suspicious light, however subtly. Black and white become muddled and you as the reader begin to examine the story from different perspectives, questioning your own beliefs. Had Gudenkauf employed this technique, it would have made the story more compelling and given it some depth. There are a couple of moments where she aims for this but falls short. Adam, the husband, holds onto blame in the form of veiled comments, Joe, the officer, could be more than a friend, and her colleagues don't rally to her defense, distant after a high profile case which she lost but can't let go of her doubts and suspicions. But aside from these slight aspersions, there's nothing to cast any substantial reasonable doubt that Ellen really is what she appears to be: a loving wife, a devoted mother, and a caring, compassionate do-gooder and the accident is just that, a tragic accident not caused by indifference, abuse, nor neglect. I never had a sense that the outcome would be anything but happy for Ellen, her family, and Jenny, who was definitely my favorite character in the book.