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The last ordinary day

April 8th, 2008 Mary K. - Central

It is a day like most other days for the McMartin family, as they sit at their breakfast table.  Both daughters, Helen who is about to start her senior year in high school and Miranda, who is about to start college, want to use the car.   Eventually Miranda wins the battle, and that decision is one that will have lasting effects on the entire family. 

So begins the first chapter of And Sometimes Why by Rebecca Johnson.  By the end of the day, Miranda will have met Jason, a fellow new student from Alaska, at student orientation.  And Helen will accept a ride on a motorcycle, which will have disastrous consequences, and that will land her in a coma in the hospital.  After the accident, the family learn things about her life that she had never divulged. 

Most of the story is about how the family deals with this crisis, and although it seems that this would be a sad and depressing book, surprisingly it also has many light and humorous moments.  There are many side plots, such as the story of Harry Harlow, who was driving the car that was involved in the accident.  He is the host of a cruel and humiliating reality game show, and the accident changes his life in unexpected ways.

Although this is a first novel, Johnson is an experienced writer and a contributing editor to Vogue.  This book grew out of her experiences during the loss of her first child, which she wrote about in a New York Times article.

Entry Filed under: Literary Fiction