Reservation Road by John Burnham Schwartz

Summary(via Goodreads):

A tragic accident sets in motion a cycle of violence and retribution in John Burnham Schwartz's riveting novel Reservation Road. Two haunted men and their families are engulfed by the emotions surrounding an unexpected and horrendous death. Ethan, a respected professor of literature at a small New England college, is wracked by an obsession with revenge that threatens to tear his family apart. Dwight, a man at once fleeing his crime and hoping to get caught, wrestles with overwhelming guilt and his sense of obligation to his son. As these two men's lives unravel, Reservation Road moves to its startling conclusion. This is an astonishing tale of love and loss, rage and redemption, that is as suspenseful as it is emotionally compelling.

This insomniac's opinion:

This novel was unique in that it told the story from the viewpoints of both the victim's family and the perpetrator. It was engrossing and moving. The grief felt by both parties was so real that it was nearly palpable. I sometimes find that male authors tend to gloss over emotions,even in the toughest of circumstances. That was not the case for this novel- John Burnham Schwartz very effectively makes the reader ache to reach into the novel and comfort the deeply grieving characters. My only complaint is that the novel seemed to stretch on for too long and the ending did not seem to fit the tone of the rest of the novel.

Worth staying up all night to read?

Yes.

Rating: 3.5 stars