January 4, 2022
NIGHT ROAD
Kristin Hannah
St. Martin's Press
1/4/22
Fiction
Paperback, 416 pages
From the author of Firefly Lane, The Nightingale, and The Four Winds comes a novel about how one reckless night destroys the lives of three teenagers and their families.

For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her children's needs above her own, and it shows―her twins, Mia and Zach, are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close-knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude. Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia's best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable.

Jude tries to keep her kids out of harm's way. But senior year of high school tests them all: a dangerous, explosive season of drinking, driving, parties, and kids who want to let loose. And then on a hot summer's night, a bad decision is made. In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything. In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget…or the courage to forgive.

"A luminous, heartbreaking novel that captures both the exquisite pain of loss and the stunning power of hope...Kristin Hannah at her very best, telling an unforgettable story about the longing for family, the resilience of the human heart, and the courage it takes to forgive the people we love."
-The Huffington Post
Dear Reader:
 
It seems almost impossible to believe how long I’ve been writing. The past twenty-plus years have literally flown by. When I actually slow down enough to stop and think about it, I realize that my writing career is inextricably linked to my role as a mother. I was pregnant when I first picked up a pen and decided to reach for the stars and write a novel. In the years between then and now, I did what so many of us have done: I drove car pool and organized school dances and helped with homework. I embarked on a career and watched it grow into something I never dared to imagine, all the while learning how to balance home and work and motherhood. But through it all, I saw myself as a mother first and foremost. Like so many women before me, I cheered when my son graduated from high school and went off to college— and I also worried. I knew how empty a nest could feel and I wondered what shape my life would hold when I became the mother of a grown child.
 
Four years later, when my son was preparing to graduate from college, I finally dared to look back on our most stressful mother/son year: his senior year of high school. I can say with assurance that it was the best, worst, most challenging, most wonderful year of my life. I remembered my own senior year fondly, as a time of willful discovery and endless possibilities.

As a mother, of course, it looks a little different. While my son was trying to spread his wings and fly, I was trying to keep him safe. We who had rarely fought were suddenly locked in battle over anything and everything. Later, I wondered what I’d done right—and wrong—as a parent. I wondered what it felt like to be a teen these days, when the world seems to be such a dangerous place. These questions were the inspiration for Night Road.

Kristin Hannah
NIGHT ROAD
Book Club Menu
Jude works tirelessly to be the best and most well-rounded mother possible, including making sure her family enjoys delicious, home-cooked meals. When we first meet the family, they’re enjoying grilled asparagus with hollandaise sauce, and I think honey garlic salmon would be a perfect main to accompany this fantastic side!

We meet Jude’s cold, correct mother Caroline during a lunch of Waldorf salad and expensive Chardonnay,

Easy homemade ice cream is very much the sort of sweet, delicious treat Lexi serves at Amore to save for her dream of attending the University of Southern California. Be creative with your flavors!
-Kristin Hannah

Menu

*Waldorf Salad
*Chardonnay
*Honey Garlic Salmon
*Grilled Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce
*Homemade Ice Cream
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