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book_dragon88's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
A shooting in a mall in a small town; four dead plus the shooter. An act of senseless violence you hear so many times about in the US that it almost doesn’t register. But what if the shooter was your student?
That’s what happens to Maggie Daley, one of the two main characters of this book. She had Nathan Dugan in her class four years before and thought him detached, aloof, even weird. Did she miss something? Could she have done more for him? Could she have prevented this tragedy?
And then there’s Maggie’s daughter Anna - scared, sensitive to a fault, recovering from anorexia and an anxiety disorder. She can’t stop thinking about the shooting, can’t stop thinking about being trapped, can’t escape the notoriety thrust upon her mother by another ex-student’s Facebook post. Will she hold on or will she slip back into her illness?
This book was well-written and engaging, told from the perspectives of a number of characters, many of them well-rounded and interesting to get to know. I also liked how the author chose to focus not on the shooter or his victims but on the rest of the community. After all, victims and perpetrators don’t live in a vacuum and one person’s actions touch multitudes. And when things like these happen, it’s easy to wonder if we missed something, if we should have seen it coming, if there was a bend in the road, a tiny, insignificant moment that pushed someone over the edge.
Anna’s storyline was also very interesting and I thought it portrayed fairly faithfully how easy it is to slip back into unhealthy habits, how your mind can turn into your enemy, and your thoughts can haunt you at all hours. However, it almost felt detached from the main storyline, or at times attached to it in a way that felt forced, and that’s the reason why I am not giving it a full 4 stars.
Still, it was definitely a good read and one I recommend.
terib's review against another edition
3.0
I can’t say it was bad but it seemed superficial. And lots of convenient twists with characters.
sus7's review against another edition
2.0
I think this book is well written, but that the story was told from too many viewpoints. I struggled to finish it.
elmgregg's review against another edition
3.0
An underrated book about what happens when your life gets wrapped up in the actions of a mass shooter. I loved hearing and identifying with Maggie, the teacher who found herself the victim of media scrutiny when a former student becomes a troubled teen, entering a mall as an active shooter. It makes you wonder how many red flags you have missed from the people you have contact with, and how you would handle it.
sharonfalduto's review against another edition
3.0
A tale of a mass shooting--or, really, the tale of the people left in its wake. Should the shooter's college professor have seen a warning sign in a paper? What about a classmate? how does this affect others? Told from multiple perspectives, this is a very interesting story about a very now topic.
atreenamedjulia's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t read a lot of “grownup” or “serious literature.” I tend to stick to my genre fiction like sci-fi, horror, fantasy, and mysteries. I’m glad I actually stepped out of my wheelhouse for this one.
This book was captivating. I couldn’t put it down. I finished it in three days which sounds slow but for me is basically as fast as I can read a book lately.
I loved that it handled such a hard topic with grace. It gave me insight to so many things like what it must be like to have anxiety or an eating disorder or how the mother of a mass shooter might feel about their children. It doesn’t blame anyone even if characters blame themselves. It doesn’t make hard political judgments. It just paints an elegant picture of the aftermath of such events.
My one complaint was the ending. It felt a little abrupt but it’s a hard story to end. I understand. Still I’m glad I read it and was satisfied with my read. Maybe I’m biased because I met the author at a book signing or because like her and the main character I used to teach but I truly think this is a worthwhile read. This is good fiction, folks
This book was captivating. I couldn’t put it down. I finished it in three days which sounds slow but for me is basically as fast as I can read a book lately.
I loved that it handled such a hard topic with grace. It gave me insight to so many things like what it must be like to have anxiety or an eating disorder or how the mother of a mass shooter might feel about their children. It doesn’t blame anyone even if characters blame themselves. It doesn’t make hard political judgments. It just paints an elegant picture of the aftermath of such events.
My one complaint was the ending. It felt a little abrupt but it’s a hard story to end. I understand. Still I’m glad I read it and was satisfied with my read. Maybe I’m biased because I met the author at a book signing or because like her and the main character I used to teach but I truly think this is a worthwhile read. This is good fiction, folks
sarahleony's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
I’m writing this review to add content/trigger warnings, I have never read a book that triggered me as much as this one, so if you’re planning on reading it, be aware. I had to put it down for a while several times. I’m usually not terribly affected by content, so I was a bit shocked by how strongly the description of some of the themes affected me.
Hope this helps.
Hope this helps.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Gun violence, Grief, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Cancer, Drug use, Abortion, and Alcohol
jhscolloquium's review against another edition
4.0
College English professor Maggie Daley is a single mother whose only child, Anna, is days away from leaving home to start college. Anna has struggled with anxiety in the wake of her parents' divorce four years ago. Luke Finch is a quiet college dropout who works at the donut shop and dreams of moving out of his father's house. Four years ago, Luke was one of Maggie's students in a freshman England composition course. As was Nathan Dugan, who penned an essay that, in hindsight, was troubling. Nathan was withdrawn, did not socialize with his fellow students, and tended to be dominating and off-putting when he did speak in class. When Nathan opens fire in a local mall, killing several people before taking his own life, questions swirl about his motivations. His single mother, with whom he resided, insists she had no idea how many guns he owned or how disturbed he was. In the aftermath of another episode of senseless, tragic violence, Maggie finds herself the focus of intense scrutiny and second-guessing: Could she have taken action that might have prevented Nathan's shooting spree and saved his victims? Should she have brought his essay, ostensibly a story about Nathan going on a hunting trip with his absent father but focused on weapons, to the attention of the college's administration? Media and public interest is heightened when Luke's observations about his classmate -- shared on Facebook -- go viral. With compassionate objectivity and insight, Elise Juska examines the impact of the shooting on Maggie, Luke, and Anna. As Maggie and Luke struggle with guilt, questioning whether they missed important signs and pondering whether their actions might have made a difference, Anna's anxiety reaches crisis proportions, especially after a brief relationship with a duplicitous fellow college student in whom she confided. If We Had Known is a compelling look at the insidious ways such a tragedy impacts and changes those touched -- even tangentially -- by the actions of a crazed gunman. And a reminder of how tenuous and delicate carefully constructed lives and relationships can be. It's also a look at the dissemination of information (and misinformation) via modern technology and the risk that the internet poses to those who are sensitive and vulnerable. If We Had Known is a story that resonates, and inspires contemplation and discussion not just about gun control, but also about the effects of being digitally, but perhaps not emotionally, connected to each other.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book!
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book!