The Day of the Accident by Nuala Ellwood
THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT
by NUALA ELLWOOD
They say you killed...But What If They're Wrong?
Sixty seconds after she wakes from a coma, Maggie's world is torn apart
So, I have still barely recovered from my book hangover after reading Ellwood's first novel, My Sister's Bones, which was simply incredible and I have been super keen to read anything she might write since - even if it was her shopping list!
I didn't even feel any sense of trepidation before starting this book as I knew it would not disappoint. I deliberately started reading it at the beginning of a long journey as I wanted to be able to lose myself in her writing and make sure I was not interrupted until I'd finished.
The blurb for this novel is suitably mysterious and confusing - yet completely compelling. This is a story that begins with a car crash - a devastating accident which throws the main character, Maggie, and the reader straight into the emotional and harrowing aftermath of one of the worst things that could happen to any parent. We meet Maggie as she wakes up from a coma in hospital to the news that she has been rescued from her car as it plunged into a river. Physically she is relatively fine, but then she discovers that her daughter was in the car when she hit the water and has not survived the accident. Worse - and more mysteriously, her husband has also disappeared. He hasn't been seen since her daughter's funeral - an event which took place while Maggie was still in a coma.
I think the most compelling aspect of this whole novel is that the reader is as much in the dark as Maggie. Groggy, disorientated, alone and completely over wrought with grief, Maggie has no memory of the accident, of the events preceding it, why she was in the car and why she might have ended up in the river. Neither has the reader. We also don't know whether we can trust her to be a reliable narrator, we only know what the hospital staff reveal and what Maggie thinks she knows about her life. All too quickly it becomes very clear that there are shadows in Maggie's life, that there is a more complex past and that her relationship with her family and husband is perhaps not straightforward or happy.
Ellwood's writing is clever. She has a deft touch and allows her reader to become immersed in her protagonist's situation. There is a real fluency to the prose even when the thoughts and memories are jagged and unclear, or disputed by other characters. I loved the sense of confusion, the sense of conflict, the sense of powerlessness, helplessness and frustration as Maggie tries to figure out what happened on the day of the accident. Everyone says she killed her daughter but she is adamant she did not. Flickers of memory haunt her, half finished thoughts keep forming in her mind and she sets out to trace back over those last hours even when the journey she finds herself on becomes more complicated and more full of ghosts than she could have ever anticipated. It's impossible not to become part of Maggie's journey and impossible not to relate to her pain - and care for her survival.
Despite the content, themes and emotions explored in this writing, it never becomes overwhelming. Ellwood's plot is well judged and the balance between tension, trauma and mystery is impressively managed, the pace and structure ensuring the reader is carried through the roller-coaster of Maggie's discoveries and revelations. The other characters in the novel are also all very well crafted - all with a hint of intrigue so the reader has to watch to see if they will trust their motives and behaviour which adds further layers and depth to the book.
Sadly I can't say too much more without giving away spoilers, but I did find the letters in italics from Maggie's daughter incredibly powerful and used so effectively it's really breathtaking. The voice of her daughter is so convincing, so authentic and so heartbreaking that these sections were completely captivating - not only do they raise the intrigue, the suspense, the raw emotion but their gradual increase over the last half of the book reflects the increasing sense of urgency and desperation as we surge towards the final revelation. One thing that Ellwood really questions and explores is a mother's intuition - Maggie is convinced her daughter is still alive, she can hear her, she can sense her, she can feel her presence and she is listening for signs that she is still safe. This theme is really interesting and again, I can't say much without giving things away, but Ellwood's evocation of a mother's love is beautifully done, with incredible power and impact.
So this is another masterful novel from Ellwood. It's a great mystery, a truly thrilling psychological drama full of suspense and tension built on a gripping premise. But there is also an impressive depth to the book and many layers that must be peeled back and explored leaving the reader once more bereft by the time that last page has been turned and the words come to an end.
Yes I did love it. Yes I do recommend it. Yes you will be up all night finishing this dark, haunting and complex thriller about motherhood, grief and revenge.
I didn't even feel any sense of trepidation before starting this book as I knew it would not disappoint. I deliberately started reading it at the beginning of a long journey as I wanted to be able to lose myself in her writing and make sure I was not interrupted until I'd finished.
The blurb for this novel is suitably mysterious and confusing - yet completely compelling. This is a story that begins with a car crash - a devastating accident which throws the main character, Maggie, and the reader straight into the emotional and harrowing aftermath of one of the worst things that could happen to any parent. We meet Maggie as she wakes up from a coma in hospital to the news that she has been rescued from her car as it plunged into a river. Physically she is relatively fine, but then she discovers that her daughter was in the car when she hit the water and has not survived the accident. Worse - and more mysteriously, her husband has also disappeared. He hasn't been seen since her daughter's funeral - an event which took place while Maggie was still in a coma.
I think the most compelling aspect of this whole novel is that the reader is as much in the dark as Maggie. Groggy, disorientated, alone and completely over wrought with grief, Maggie has no memory of the accident, of the events preceding it, why she was in the car and why she might have ended up in the river. Neither has the reader. We also don't know whether we can trust her to be a reliable narrator, we only know what the hospital staff reveal and what Maggie thinks she knows about her life. All too quickly it becomes very clear that there are shadows in Maggie's life, that there is a more complex past and that her relationship with her family and husband is perhaps not straightforward or happy.
Ellwood's writing is clever. She has a deft touch and allows her reader to become immersed in her protagonist's situation. There is a real fluency to the prose even when the thoughts and memories are jagged and unclear, or disputed by other characters. I loved the sense of confusion, the sense of conflict, the sense of powerlessness, helplessness and frustration as Maggie tries to figure out what happened on the day of the accident. Everyone says she killed her daughter but she is adamant she did not. Flickers of memory haunt her, half finished thoughts keep forming in her mind and she sets out to trace back over those last hours even when the journey she finds herself on becomes more complicated and more full of ghosts than she could have ever anticipated. It's impossible not to become part of Maggie's journey and impossible not to relate to her pain - and care for her survival.
Despite the content, themes and emotions explored in this writing, it never becomes overwhelming. Ellwood's plot is well judged and the balance between tension, trauma and mystery is impressively managed, the pace and structure ensuring the reader is carried through the roller-coaster of Maggie's discoveries and revelations. The other characters in the novel are also all very well crafted - all with a hint of intrigue so the reader has to watch to see if they will trust their motives and behaviour which adds further layers and depth to the book.
Sadly I can't say too much more without giving away spoilers, but I did find the letters in italics from Maggie's daughter incredibly powerful and used so effectively it's really breathtaking. The voice of her daughter is so convincing, so authentic and so heartbreaking that these sections were completely captivating - not only do they raise the intrigue, the suspense, the raw emotion but their gradual increase over the last half of the book reflects the increasing sense of urgency and desperation as we surge towards the final revelation. One thing that Ellwood really questions and explores is a mother's intuition - Maggie is convinced her daughter is still alive, she can hear her, she can sense her, she can feel her presence and she is listening for signs that she is still safe. This theme is really interesting and again, I can't say much without giving things away, but Ellwood's evocation of a mother's love is beautifully done, with incredible power and impact.
So this is another masterful novel from Ellwood. It's a great mystery, a truly thrilling psychological drama full of suspense and tension built on a gripping premise. But there is also an impressive depth to the book and many layers that must be peeled back and explored leaving the reader once more bereft by the time that last page has been turned and the words come to an end.
Yes I did love it. Yes I do recommend it. Yes you will be up all night finishing this dark, haunting and complex thriller about motherhood, grief and revenge.
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