Our Burden's Light
Patrick Thomas Casey
Dunne, Apr 13 2010, $25.99
ISBN: 9780312533908
In the Shenandoah Valley, the murder of teenager Grant Shelley shakes his family. Only the actions of his father, Robert keep the grieving Shelley brood together as none of them understand why it happened and moving on and getting closure feels impossible to do.
Grant's teenage killer, Hayden Clyde struggles with what he did in the woods. Also not coping very well is Grant's former girlfriend and Hayden's current one Evelyn Warren. Meanwhile even as he remains the core holding the family together, Robert wonders what he could have done differently; especially as he begins to realize his late son is not quite the innocent victim paragon the Shelley brood prefers to believe; nor in many ways he knows is he not a shining example.
This is an interesting look at the grieving process when an unexpected tragic death occurs. Patrick Thomas Casey makes a strong case that everyone grieves in their own way and in their own time even with an anchor keeping all moored. Although more a series of vignettes tied together by Grant’s death than a novel, readers will appreciate this deep look at the living after a young person unexpectedly dies violently.
Harriet Klausner
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