Synopses & Reviews
In his riveting new novel, Will Allison, critically acclaimed author of
What You Have Left, crafts an emotional and psychological drama that explores the moral ambiguities of personal responsibility as it chronicles a father’s attempt to explain himself to his daughter—even though he knows that in doing so, he risks losing her.
Life can change in an instant because of one small mistake. For Glen Bauer, all it takes is a quick jerk of the steering wheel, intended to scare a reckless driver. But the reckless driver is killed, and just like that, Glen’s placid suburban existence begins to unravel.
Written in part as a confessional letter from Glen to his daughter, Sara, Long Drive Home evokes the sharp-eyed observation of Tom Perrotta and the pathos of Dan Chaon in its trenchant portrait of contemporary American life.
When Glen realizes no one else saw the accident, he impulsively lies about what happened—to the police, to his wife, even to Sara, who was in the backseat at the time of the crash. But a tenacious detective thinks Sara might have seen more than she knows, or more than her parents will let her tell. And when Glen tries to prevent the detective from questioning Sara, he finds himself in a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game that could end in a lawsuit or prison. What he doesn’t see coming is the reaction of his wife, Liz—a panicked plan that threatens to tear their family apart in the name of saving it.
But what if the accident wasn’t really Glen’s fault? What if someone else were to blame for the turn his life has taken? It’s a question Glen can’t let go of. And as he struggles to understand the extent of his own guilt, he finds himself on yet another collision course, different in kind but with the potential to be equally devastating. Long Drive Home is a stunning cautionary tale of unintended consequences that confirms Will Allison’s growing reputation as a rising literary talent.
Review
"[A] tight drama, part psychological thriller, part tragedy . . . Allison's effortless prose and playful genre mixing showcase a burgeoning talent." < -="" i="" -=""> - Publishers Weekly - < -="" -="">
Review
"Like a nightmare that gets scarier and scarier as the hyperrealistic details mount, Will Allison's psychological thriller Long Drive Home can shake you up . . . But while wondering whether Glen will get arrested is what keeps you turning pages, Allison's eye for the details of marriage and fatherhood, and his deconstruction of what can happen when a good guy makes one false move, are what will break your heart." < -="" i="" -=""> - O - < -="" -=""> - , The Oprah Magazine
Review
“In Long Drive Home, Allison focuses on the brutally quick unraveling of Glen’s peaceful existence, filling the reader with not only dread but also the desire to discover what terrible—or hopeful—development awaits on the next page.” < -="" i="" -=""> - Entertainment Weekly - < -="" -="">
Review
“In this psychological thriller, the cover-up is as bad as the crime….With one disastrous decision and the turn of his steering wheel, Glen Bauer manages to destroy four lives and two families. That incident and the years of guilt and deception that follow are the subject of Allison’s fine second novel (after What You Have Left), a gripping morality that raises questions about race, conscience and the responsibilities of parenthood….Allison’s eye for the quiet details of domestic life highlights what’s at stake, and he makes brilliant use of the precocious Sara…” < -="" i="" -=""> - People - < -="" -="">
Review
“A man driving with his 6-year-old daughter in the back seat gets a case of road rage after a teenage driver cuts him off….[T]he dad, Glen, decides to teach the teenage boy a lesson….While narrowly focusing his lens on the event and its consequences, Mr. Allison still manages to take in a panorama of human behavior. Not knowing what his little girl was aware of, Glen doesn’t admit his role in the accident to his wife or the police. Mr. Allison’s gift is in making that lie—and each new one it inevitably spawns—understandable, showing how this story could be anyone’s.” < -="" i="" -=""> - The New York Times - < -="" -="">
Review
“Will Allison’s beautiful novel is part detective story, part wrenching family drama. It will make you hold your children tighter and kiss your husband or wife longer, thinking of the simple pleasures of everyday life that can be so easily spirited away.” Hannah Tinti, author of The Good Thief
Review
“Will Allison’s Long Drive Home is a sneaky novel, and I mean this as highest praise. Just as the narrator's misdeeds sneak into his conscience and then refuse to leave, so too will this novel’s wry voice and beautifully drawn characters burrow into your heart and mind. A harrowing, terrifically tense, unforgettable book.” Brock Clarke, author of Exley
Review
“In Long Drive Home, Will Allison reminds us how risky life is, how one bad move, one swerve from the right path, might set in motion a series of events that can destroy what we love.” Bonnie Jo Campbell, author of American Salvage
Review
“Long Drive Home examines, with haunting elegance, how quickly one bad decision can descend into calamity. The dread grows with every page—as does the horrifying realization that the narrator’s choices could be yours, and his tragedy could so easily be your own.” Lauren Grodstein, author of A Friend of the Family
Review
“Will Allison is a natural storyteller. As he makes clear with his stunning second book, he also has a habit of writing poignant, compulsively readable novels. Long Drive Home is a gripping, elegant, morally complex, and vividly realized portrait of our time and place.” Frederick Reiken, author of Day for Night
Synopsis
In this
New York Times bestselling psychological thriller, “a gripping morality tale that raises questions about race, conscience, and the responsibilities of parenthood” (
People), a happily married man makes a split-second decision that sends his life into a devastating tailspin.
Life can change in an instant because of one small mistake. For Glen Bauer, all it takes is a quick jerk of the steering wheel intended to scare a reckless driver—not kill him. But when Glen realizes no one saw the deadly accident, he impulsively lies to the police, to his wife, even to his six-year-old daughter, Sarah, who was in the backseat at the time of the crash. In his efforts to avoid a lawsuit or prison, what Glen doesn’t see coming is the reaction of his wife, Liz—a panicked plan that threatens to tear their family apart in the name of saving it. But what if the accident wasn’t really Glen’s fault? What if someone else were to blame? It’s a question Glen can’t let go of. And as he struggles to understand the extent of his own culpability, he finds himself on yet another collision course, different in kind but with equally terrible potential.
Long Drive Home is a stunning cautionary tale of unintended consequences that confirms Will Allison’s reputation as a rising literary talent.
Synopsis
In Will Allisons critically acclaimed
New York Times bestseller, a happily married man makes a split-second decision that sends his life into a devastating tailspin.
Life can change in an instant because of one small mistake. For Glen Bauer, all it takes is a quick jerk of the steering wheel, an impulsive move intended to scare a reckless driver—not kill him. But when Glen realizes no one saw the deadly accident, he lies to the police, to his wife, even to his six-year-old daughter, Sara, who was in the backseat at the time of the crash. As his wifes panicked plan to save their family instead threatens to tear it apart, Glen cant help wondering: What if the accident wasnt really his fault? What if someone else were to blame? Struggling to understand the extent of his own culpability, Glen finds himself on yet another collision course, different in kind but with equally terrible potential.
Long Drive Home is a stunning cautionary tale of unintended consequences that confirms Will Allisons reputation as a rising literary talent.
Synopsis
In this New York Times bestseller, “a gripping morality tale that raises questions about race, conscience, and the responsibilities of parenthood” (People), a happily married man makes a split-second decision that sends his life into a devastating tailspin—now in paperback.Life can change in an instant because of one small mistake. For Glen Bauer, all it takes is a quick jerk of the steering wheel intended to scare a reckless driver—not kill him. But when Glen realizes no one saw the deadly accident, he impulsively lies to the police, to his wife, even to his six-year-old daughter, Sara, who was in the backseat at the time of the crash. In his efforts to avoid a lawsuit or prison, what Glen doesn’t see coming is the reaction of his wife, Liz—a panicked plan that threatens to tear their family apart in the name of saving it. But what if the accident wasn’t really Glen’s fault? What if someone else were to blame? It’s a question Glen can’t let go of. And as he struggles to understand the extent of his own culpability, he finds himself on yet another collision course, different in kind but with equally terrible potential.
Long Drive Home is a stunning cautionary tale of unintended consequences that confirms Will Allison’s reputation as a rising literary talent.
About the Author
Will Allison’s debut novel, What You Have Left, was selected for Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers, Borders Original Voices, and Book Sense Picks, and was named one of 2007’s notable books by the San Francisco Chronicle. His short stories have appeared in magazines such as Zoetrope: All-Story, Glimmer Train, and One Story and have received special mention in the Pushcart Prize and Best American Short Stories anthologies. He is the former executive editor of Story