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Reservation Road

by John Burnh Schwartz
Reservation Road

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ISBN13: 9780375702730
ISBN10: 0375702733
Condition: Standard


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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year

"A dark and irresistible miracle: a heartbreaking thriller."--Los Angeles Times

"Haunting. . . . A powerful and affecting novel."--The New York Times

A tragic accident sets in motion a cycle of violence and retribution in John Burnham Schwartz's riveting novel Reservation Road. Two haunted men and their families are engulfed by the emotions surrounding an unexpected and horrendous death. Ethan, a respected professor of literature at a small New England college, is wracked by an obsession with revenge that threatens to tear his family apart. Dwight, a man at once fleeing his crime and hoping to get caught, wrestles with overwhelming guilt and his sense of obligation to his son. As these two men's lives unravel, Reservation Road moves to its startling conclusion. This is an astonishing tale of love and loss, rage and redemption, that is as suspenseful as it is emotionally compelling.

"Thrums with suspense and moral ambiguity. . . . This is one of those rare--very rare--novels that you don't so much read as inhabit and that makes everyday life seem altogether mysterious." --Entertainment Weekly

"A triumph . . . character-driven as it is, it reads like a thriller, swift and complete."--The New York Times Book Review

Synopsis

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year

A dark and irresistible miracle: a heartbreaking thriller.--Los Angeles Times

Haunting. . . . A powerful and affecting novel.--The New York Times

A tragic accident sets in motion a cycle of violence and retribution in John Burnham Schwartz's riveting novel Reservation Road. Two haunted men and their families are engulfed by the emotions surrounding an unexpected and horrendous death. Ethan, a respected professor of literature at a small New England college, is wracked by an obsession with revenge that threatens to tear his family apart. Dwight, a man at once fleeing his crime and hoping to get caught, wrestles with overwhelming guilt and his sense of obligation to his son. As these two men's lives unravel, Reservation Road moves to its startling conclusion. This is an astonishing tale of love and loss, rage and redemption, that is as suspenseful as it is emotionally compelling.

Thrums with suspense and moral ambiguity. . . . This is one of those rare--very rare--novels that you don't so much read as inhabit and that makes everyday life seem altogether mysterious. --Entertainment Weekly

A triumph . . . character-driven as it is, it reads like a thriller, swift and complete.--The New York Times Book Review

Synopsis

A cycle of violence and retribution is set in motion as two haunted men are engulfed by the emotions surrounding an unexpected and horrendous death.

Ethan, a respected professor at a small New England college, is wracked by an obsession for revenge that threatens to tear his family apart. Dwight, fleeing his crime yet hoping to get caught, wrestles with overwhelming guilt and his sense of obligation to his son. As these two men's lives unravel, Reservation Road moves to its startling conclusion.


About the Author

John Burnham Schwartz is the author of Bicycle Days, Reservation Road, and Claire Marvel, all of which have been translated into more than ten languages. His writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Boston Globe, and Vogue. He lives with his wife, filmmaker Aleksandra Crapanzano, in Brooklyn, New York.

4 2

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Average customer rating 4 (2 comments)

`
OneMansView , June 20, 2011 (view all comments by OneMansView)
One heedless moment This novel is a potent story of grief experienced when tragedy strikes a family, though it is somewhat drawn-out. It is hard to understand the pain and disruption that can permeate a family, especially parents, when a beloved child is abruptly taken away by a senseless accident. The Learner family goes into a deep tailspin when 10-year-old Josh is struck by a hit-and-run driver while carelessly standing on the side of dark, curvy Reservation Rd, where his father Ethan has stopped at an out-of-the way service station. But little do they know the tremendous impact that this accident has on the driver Dwight, who had his sleeping son Sam in the car and has led a hard-luck, troubled life, leading up to this exact place in time. Throughout the story, the author shifts perspectives among Dwight, Ethan, and his wife Grace. Attempts at regaining any sort of normalcy in family life, relationships, work, etc are mostly futile with Dwight and Ethan making some ineffectual efforts, while Grace is virtually totally dysfunctional. The emotions and reactions range from rage, frustration, desires for revenge, listlessness, and depression to above all: guilt. “What-if” thinking dominates. What if Ethan had been stronger in ignoring the over-sensitivity of Josh when told to do something ��" like not stand at the edge of the road? What if Dwight was not worried sick about getting Sam back to his ex-wife on time after a weekend excursion? It is extremely interesting to contemplate the ramifications of psychological compromises that maintain harmony in the near term but can have unfortunate consequences. The book is also about to what extent revenge and punishment can bring closure to such a scenario. Will more violence; will placing someone in a jail cell bring satisfaction? Ethan and Dwight have to contend with these huge issues on a personal level: what actions and demands will yield justice for them? Perhaps the story has its exaggerated aspects. The characters, all college-educated, may have been expected to have better personal coping mechanisms, as well as access to support. Their dealings with the police were strangely ineffective. The accident-scene evidence ��" speech remembered ��" is doubtful. Nonetheless, the story does capture the profound devastation that can be injected into people’s lives from essentially one heedless moment.

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`
Bookwomyn , December 27, 2008 (view all comments by Bookwomyn)
Sad, interesting, realistic. I can imagine such a sad accident happening and the people involved behaving as these people did. It's a no-win situation for everyone but a good study of human nature - especially when faced with 'Doing The Right Thing' or 'Ruining Your Own Life' ... Who knows what we would do if faced with the same dilemma.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780375702730
Binding:
Trade Paperback
Publication date:
10/05/1999
Publisher:
BALLANTINE BOOKS
Series info:
Vintage Contemporaries
Pages:
304
Height:
.66IN
Width:
5.30IN
Thickness:
.66 in.
Number of Units:
1
Copyright Year:
1999
Series Volume:
96-015
UPC Code:
2800375702732
Author:
John Burnham Schwartz
Author:
John Burnh Schwartz
Subject:
Popular Fiction-Suspense
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Suspense
Subject:
Family
Subject:
Psychological fiction
Subject:
Hit-and-run drivers
Subject:
Suspense fiction
Subject:
Connecticut
Subject:
Psychological

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