Oh, my goodness. What a magical, emotional, special book.
This morning, I had about 20 pages to go and I just could not stop reading. I held it in my lap on my drive to work and read at the stoplights. I've never wanted to be stuck in traffic more than this morning. I ended up getting to work and sitting in the parking lot for 15 minutes so I could read until the end. I did so with tears streaming down my face.
The book is told through a series of letters from a man named Lucas Goodgame to his therapist. As each letter passes, more of the heartbreaking story is revealed.
Lucas and his therapist were among the survivors of a mass shooting in a movie theater, in which each man lost his wife. We don't know why Lucas's therapists won't answer his letters. We do know Lucas is slowly falling apart.
In an attempt to bring survivors together and make something good come from the tragedy, Lucas and another young man embark on a strange project to bring about that healing. They bring the survivors together to do so. But, as that project gets closer to completion, Lucas gets even closer to completely losing himself.
The book was intriguing and emotional the whole way through, but it really hit another gear in the last 1/4 of the story. I was riveted and worried and ultimately, felt some relief at where the journey ended up.
This is a beautiful story about grief - collective and individual grief. It's about family and friendships and tragedy and redemption. While the subject matter itself is hard to think about, this story - true to its name - provides some light as well.
Just an absolutely powerful read.
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