Sweet Hereafter: A Novel by Russell Banks
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Book Reviews of Sweet Hereafter: A Novel
Book Review: A compelling look at a small town tragedy
Summary: 5 Stars
Do you believe in omens? I picked up this book because I had heard what a great film was made from the book. I have not seen the film but was intrigued by the plot. I started reading the book and was suprised to see it was set in Essex County, New York where I grew up. I had no knowledge of this before purchasing the book. The real bizarre turn came when the book came to an end. The last scene of the book occurs in the town of Sam Dent at the County Fair's Demolition Derby. Believe it or not, I grew up in that town. It's called Westport, New York and Mr. Banks describes the fairgrounds perfectly. What are the odds of a person picking up a book at random and discovering it is set in his hometown of roughly 700 people? Perhaps that is one reason I found the book so compelling. It really felt that I knew those four people.Book Review: Compelling characters bring into focus the loss of children
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Sweet Hereafter" is so compelling in its portrayal of a New York State school bus crash and the after-effects it has on a town of mourners that I was unable to put in down on a recent trip, even when I felt as though my plane itself was about to crash in the same manner as the bus did. Told from four separate points of view, each of the narrators, the bus driver Delores Driscoll, the grieving parent Billy Ansel, crippled bus passenger Nichole Burnell and attorney Mitchell Stephens, esq., contribute four vastly different perspectives on the tragedy and also show the reader different ways to come to terms with loss.
The plot seems incidental to this study, though it is constantly moving, never dull. Banks is truly a craftsman of words, and "The Sweet Hereafter" is remarkable.
Book Review: Teen Power and Integrity
Summary: 5 Stars
As a high school teacher, I think our kids seek authentic stories and issues above all--yet so much of what is out there is cynical and discourages their own sense of power in the world. This book offers an accessible, engaging story about a perfectly ordinary tragedy (if such a thing exists), around which characters familiar to any modern teen converge in the hope of establishing responsibility, or perhaps more of assigning guilt. At the center of the tale is a young girl whose life has been changed, for better as well as for worse, who slowly realizes that she holds the power to perpetuate the pain or to begin the healing. Her choice angers some powerful adults, but affirms our better instincts and validates the notion that young people can change the world.Book Review: powerful and moving
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved this book. I had seen the movie a few years back but decided to try reading the book anyway. It was a good choice. The characters in this book are drawn so well you feel as though you can see them. The author does a great job of making everyone in this book believable and he establishes credible and decent motives for their behaviors that sometimes seem incredible and less than decent.The book is about the end of innocence. From the loss of the children on the bus, to the loss of a drug addicted child, to the loss of community and finally the loss of one's self in Billy Ansel's case, this books ties it all together. This is my first book by Russell Banks and I'm eager to read the others.
Book Review: Lovely and tragic
Summary: 5 Stars
First and foremost, I would like to say that I highly resent the comment about this being a book only for those who like Oprah. This is not because I'm not a huge fan of Oprah (for reasons I won't spew out here), it's just that her literary tastes tend to veer towards the weepy and transparently 'deep. 'The Sweet Hereafter', on the other hand, is a beautifully written and deeply affecting story that is not at all pretentious in the way it presents its themes.
Yes, it sounds mind-numbingly depressing, but it's a kind of story where you can just wallow comfortably in the sadness. I know that doesn't sound like a good thing, but it is.