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A review by hedonicbooks
Home Stretch by Graham Norton
5.0
Loved it. I honestly didn't know Graham Norton was such a good writer.
The book tells the story of Connor, a 20 something gay man, living in rural Ireland in the late 80s. His life is shattered the moment he is accused of driving the car that kills 4 people in an accident that will change the community forever. He is forced to leave his home and make a new life for himself, knowing that everyone blames him for what happened.
I felt heartbroken for Connor. There are so many secrets that affect the people involved in that car crash and their families and you get to see glimpses of their lives throughout the entire book, because the story spans more than 30 years.
It reminded me a bit of John Boyne's The Heart's Invisible Furies.. because this book is also a picture of Ireland and how homosexuality was perceived over the years.
It's such a good book. So emotional and raw. It's hard for me to put into words what I felt while reading it... how shame can alter one's life. How fear and desperation lead you down paths you never even imagined taking.
The plot twists I've guessed quite early on, but the writing is so beautiful. I've had a bit of a hard time with the 3rd person narrative that kept switching from one character to another in matter of paragraphs, but I eventually got used to it.
Read this book.
The book tells the story of Connor, a 20 something gay man, living in rural Ireland in the late 80s. His life is shattered the moment he is accused of driving the car that kills 4 people in an accident that will change the community forever. He is forced to leave his home and make a new life for himself, knowing that everyone blames him for what happened.
I felt heartbroken for Connor. There are so many secrets that affect the people involved in that car crash and their families and you get to see glimpses of their lives throughout the entire book, because the story spans more than 30 years.
It reminded me a bit of John Boyne's The Heart's Invisible Furies.. because this book is also a picture of Ireland and how homosexuality was perceived over the years.
It's such a good book. So emotional and raw. It's hard for me to put into words what I felt while reading it... how shame can alter one's life. How fear and desperation lead you down paths you never even imagined taking.
The plot twists I've guessed quite early on, but the writing is so beautiful. I've had a bit of a hard time with the 3rd person narrative that kept switching from one character to another in matter of paragraphs, but I eventually got used to it.
Read this book.