A review by jhscolloquium
If We Had Known by Elise Juska

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 Nathan was withdrawn, did not socialize with his fellow students, and tended to be dominating and off-putting when he did speak in class.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!