roxannima's review against another edition
5.0
This was an absolutely amazing memoir. So incredibly heartfelt and real - you could feel it in Strauss' writing that this is something he has struggled with since the accident happened. I'm excited to read his novels now.
mehilbert's review against another edition
3.0
I appreciate his honesty, but I don't find him sympathetic, which is problematic because going into the book (knowing the premise) he had it...and lost it. He has some nice writing, though in parts he is trying too hard to sound writerly.
brookeworm88's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written memoir about one man's grief over a tragic accident. Portrays how the loss of one life shapes and directs the course of his own and how the ambiguity of the accident led him to question himself until "half a life" had passed by.
swoody788's review against another edition
3.0
Sad but interesting and thought-provoking. I wish it had been longer.
dilan11's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
3.0
There is a point early on in the book (at Celine's funeral) where Darin's dad says "keep your head up, just keep your head up." That is incredibly poignant and perhaps what Darin finally achieved by the end.
eileen_critchley's review against another edition
3.0
Sad memoir and a reminder that an event can happen at any time, which could change the course of our lives and stay with us forever. The writing itself was nothing extraordinary (although it wasn't awful either) but I did find myself reading a few sentences a few time. I have a feeling it's the sort of book which will stay with me for a while. It's just hard to imagine something of this nature happening to you at a young age, and then continuing to haunt you as part of your life.
anngarth8's review against another edition
I wouldn't say I necessarily enjoyed this book -- I shouldn't have read it right now, I wasn't in the mood -- but I really appreciated hearing Strauss' experience with shock and memory and the performative nature of grief.
harbo101's review against another edition
3.0
While I appreciated the honesty with which Strauss presents his story, it seemed that he missed an opportunity to bring some closure to it.
mfcotter's review against another edition
5.0
Anyone who’s experienced any complicated grief will find themselves here. This is an astonishing, vulnerable and aching book, filled with a longing to understand. Only wish it’d been longer.