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A review by tiredcath
Four for the Road by K.J. Reilly
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Oh my god, I was completely enthralled in this novel.
After a drunk driver kills his mother, Asher sets himself on a self-destructive path of revenge.
I cannot express how sincerely good this book is, how much it touched me, made me feel. The characters are honest, brutally honest. Kids dealing with death, an elderly man trying to live with a version of normalcy. Asher is a unique protagonist, where you're almost rooting for him to do the wrong thing because you feel his pain, you feel the guilt and confusion, and mostly, the frustration with death. Reilly does an incredible job at balancing the tragedy of grief, humor, and an adolescent reaction to a life they can't control.
The writing style isn't for everyone. it's repetitive (meaningful so) and like an endless stream of consciousness flowing from Asher's mind to the page. Dialogue is also somewhat structured oddly, but once you're invested you don't notice it anymore. I personally really appreciated the way the characters interacted and the way the plot slowly unfolded in front of you.
Didn't expect to love this as much as I did. There's so much heart, so much pain, and love between the characters. Asher, Solane and Will, Henry and Evelyn. Their stories are important. Their healing is important.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
After a drunk driver kills his mother, Asher sets himself on a self-destructive path of revenge.
I cannot express how sincerely good this book is, how much it touched me, made me feel. The characters are honest, brutally honest. Kids dealing with death, an elderly man trying to live with a version of normalcy. Asher is a unique protagonist, where you're almost rooting for him to do the wrong thing because you feel his pain, you feel the guilt and confusion, and mostly, the frustration with death. Reilly does an incredible job at balancing the tragedy of grief, humor, and an adolescent reaction to a life they can't control.
The writing style isn't for everyone. it's repetitive (meaningful so) and like an endless stream of consciousness flowing from Asher's mind to the page. Dialogue is also somewhat structured oddly, but once you're invested you don't notice it anymore. I personally really appreciated the way the characters interacted and the way the plot slowly unfolded in front of you.
Didn't expect to love this as much as I did. There's so much heart, so much pain, and love between the characters. Asher, Solane and Will, Henry and Evelyn. Their stories are important. Their healing is important.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Suicide, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent