* * 1/2
"This was supposed to be the best summer of Maggie's life. Now it's the one she'd do anything to forget.”
Maggie remembers hanging out at the gorge with her closest friends after a blowout party. She remembers climbing the trail with her perfect boyfriend, Joey. She remembers that last kiss, soft, lingering, and meant to reassure her. So why can't she remember what happened in the moment before they were supposed to dive? Why was she left cowering at the top of the cliff, while Joey floated in the water below-dead?
As Maggie's memories return in snatches, nothing seems to make sense. Why was Joey acting so strangely at the party? Where did he go after taking her home? And if Joey was keeping these secrets, what else was he hiding?
The latest novel from the author of "The Tension of Opposites," "One Moment" is a mysterious, searing look at how an instant can change everything you believe about the world around you.
Although predictable, the story moved along well and kept my
interest. Also, I think this story ended
up being a good lesson on how it is normal and okay to be angry with someone you
have lost. Something that is difficult
for people of any age to learn and accept.
The Bad:
Even having read the synopsis, I was not ready for the first
chapter of this story. In my experience,
stories about trying to discover the truth of a tragedy don’t usually start out
by showing you the tragedy. Usually you will learn pieces along the way. Not so with One Moment. The first chapter builds up the scene
well. And although there are pieces
missing that you will learn later on, you see enough in that first chapter to
make you feel sad and sick to your stomach.
Not a feeling I enjoyed. Granted
I fully admit that I am a bit sensitive.
I also felt that the first chapter sets everything up for the story a little too well. When I say “too well”, I mean that the reader can easily predict everything that will happen in the book. It’s fairly easy to figure out what everybody’s secrets are.
This book gets just shy of 3*’s from me. If you are looking for a similar story I
would also recommend Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf.
Nat
