The Vagabond

Title : Night Road

Author : Kristin Hannah

Genre : Pyschological fiction

Book Blurb :Jude Farraday is a happily married, stay-at-home mom who puts everyone’s needs above her own. Her twins, Mia and Zach, are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill enters their lives, no one is more supportive than Jude. A former foster child with a dark past, Lexi quickly becomes Mia’s best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable. But senior year of high school brings unexpected dangers and one night, Jude’s worst fears are confirmed: there is an accident. In an instant, her idyllic life is shattered and her close-knit community is torn apart. People—and Jude—demand justice, and when the finger of blame is pointed, it lands solely on eighteen-year-old Lexi Baill. In a heartbeat, their love for each other will be shattered, the family broken. Lexi gives up everything that matters to her—the boy she loves, her place in the family, the best friend she ever had—while Jude loses even more.When Lexi returns, older and wiser, she demands a reckoning. Long buried feelings will rise again, and Jude will finally have to face the woman she has become. She must decide whether to remain broken or try to forgive both Lexi…and herself.Night Road is a vivid, emotionally complex novel that raises profound questions about motherhood, loss, identity, and forgiveness. It is an exquisite, heartbreaking novel that speaks to women everywhere about the things that matter most.

My Review :

Grief changes a person. How each one carries it, is altogether different. Some try to lose themselves in work, some in drugs, some lose themselves to depression.

A beautiful family, a beautiful friendship and a teenage romance get shattered in one night. In the aftermath of the incident, each holds himself responsible, yet fail to reach out to each other.The story explores this complex human emotion very beautifully. I couldn’t keep the novel down till the end. It’s very common for an emotional person like me to shed tears in a movie, however this story made me shed tears at every few pages.

Parenting is a tough job, esp for mothers as kids become their priority. Jude is one such parent, who has been the helicopter parent and her efforts have led to her children getting right university admissions. However, her strictness leads them to fear her, and that one mistake out of fear changes everything. Is there a correct way to parenting? I personally believe it’s always a hit and trial each one learning and improving on the way.What happens to such a mother who has led her life only for her children when she loses her child? Obviously, she’s devastated. This has been shown so vivid and touching.It’s a good read. Be ready with a tissue box along.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐