Even before the first chapter, I got a sense of how realistic this novel would be because of the vast amount of research the author, Katherine Center, says that she did. From conversations with health care professionals and people who suffered the same injuries as her main character, to pilots who fly airplanes , it seems as if Katherine left no stone unturned when it came to finding out as much as she could for her book.
The story is told from the main character, Margaret’s, point of view. In the beginning, she was in shock as she learned how serious her injuries were; her emotions and thoughts are all over the place. I felt the book was very authentic for the most part, and I couldn’t help but empathize with her and think that the author did an wonderful job with details. The characterization was excellent. There were people that were kind, helpful, funny, but also ones that didn’t want to be around someone who was no longer perfect.
What I didn’t like: I didn’t find Margaret’s boyfriend, Chip, to be all that realistic. Perhaps there are people who would react as callously as he did after his initial shock, but I would think the guilt would linger, and that he wouldn’t be able to pick up with an ex-girlfriend and move on that quickly. Moreover, the f word is unfortunately peppered throughout, and the author also throws in some swear words that don’t honor God. It’s so easy to pick up habits like this from constantly being subjected to this kind of language, and I don’t wish to go there. Many authors of the very best books don’t resort to this, and it always disappoints when one goes down that road with a book that otherwise is very good. If you don’t care to read language like this, skip this one.
The story is told from the main character, Margaret’s, point of view. In the beginning, she was in shock as she learned how serious her injuries were; her emotions and thoughts are all over the place. I felt the book was very authentic for the most part, and I couldn’t help but empathize with her and think that the author did an wonderful job with details. The characterization was excellent. There were people that were kind, helpful, funny, but also ones that didn’t want to be around someone who was no longer perfect.
What I didn’t like: I didn’t find Margaret’s boyfriend, Chip, to be all that realistic. Perhaps there are people who would react as callously as he did after his initial shock, but I would think the guilt would linger, and that he wouldn’t be able to pick up with an ex-girlfriend and move on that quickly. Moreover, the f word is unfortunately peppered throughout, and the author also throws in some swear words that don’t honor God. It’s so easy to pick up habits like this from constantly being subjected to this kind of language, and I don’t wish to go there. Many authors of the very best books don’t resort to this, and it always disappoints when one goes down that road with a book that otherwise is very good. If you don’t care to read language like this, skip this one.