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A review by rubenstein
Accidents Happen by Louise Millar
5.0
http://theprettygoodgatsby.wordpress.com/2013/10/02/accidents-happen-by-louise-millar/
Everyone has their personal brand of comfort read, be it a fluffy romance, realistic fiction, or a beloved childhood favorite. For me it's thrillers. Prior to jumping back into YA (and blogging), 95% of what I read fell into the thriller genre and I love revisiting favorites and discovering new ones. Louise Millar's sophomore title, Accidents Happen, definitely classifies as the latter (spoiler alert?).
After a series of tragedies - the sudden death of her parents on her wedding night, the murder of her husband, and a recent break-in - Kate is more than a little protective of her son. Statistics begin to take charge of her life and her cautiousness quickly delves into paranoia and obsession. The iron gate encompassing the entire second floor is the final straw for Kate's in-laws and they begin to wonder if her son might not be better off living with them. Jack is 10, old enough to walk to the convenience store on his own and not worry about monsters in his closet, but Kate's fear has kept him sheltered.
Five years since the death of her husband and Kate is still not ready to move on. It's only at the thought of losing her son that Kate agrees to seek out a therapist and their first meeting couldn't end fast enough. Now each week Kate lies to her sister-in-law about where she's going - anywhere but that therapist.
One day she stops into a cafe and notices a book lying on a nearby table. Beat the Odds and Change Your Life by Jago Martin, Professor at the University of Edinburgh. Kate wastes no time in flipping through the chapters. Topics on how to improve the chance of avoiding car accidents and selecting the best airline ring loud and clear and when the owner of the book returns to his table, she has to force herself to hand the book back. The two strike up a conversation and she realizes he's the author: Jago Martin. More out of necessity than anything, Kate wants to know where he came up with his numbers, his facts.
Back at Kate's house, Jack's closet door opens. It seems his monsters aren't so imaginary after all.
To say I enjoyed this book would be an understatement. To say I really enjoyed this book would be putting it lightly. For four days I lived and breathed Accidents Happen, fully immersed while reading and when I wasn't I was thinking of nothing but getting back to it. Right from the start you learn Kate's fears are very real, there actually is someone entering their home any time she's gone. A hole cut into the back of Jack's closet is the perfect passageway from the other side of their duplex. Magnus is free to come and go as he pleases and doesn't hesitate to help himself to some of Kate's lotion or whatever is in the fridge. Logic (and her mother-in-law) tells Kate that perhaps she used a little more lotion than she thought or maybe Jack wanted a midnight snack, but the truth is far more frightening. More than once I was so overwhelmed with emotion I had to set the book down. Despite Kate's alarm system and other precautions, Magnus still found a way to enter her home and that terrified me.
As the story progressed I quickly figured out who the Bad Guy was but it didn't dampen my enjoyment at all. Accidents Happen is a little on the longer side, but the pace is so blindingly fast I actually had to slow myself down in an attempt to stay with this wonderful book as long as possible. Whether you're a long-time thriller fan or a YA fan looking for something new, I highly recommend Accidents Happen. This book was intense and riveting with plot twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Everyone has their personal brand of comfort read, be it a fluffy romance, realistic fiction, or a beloved childhood favorite. For me it's thrillers. Prior to jumping back into YA (and blogging), 95% of what I read fell into the thriller genre and I love revisiting favorites and discovering new ones. Louise Millar's sophomore title, Accidents Happen, definitely classifies as the latter (spoiler alert?).
After a series of tragedies - the sudden death of her parents on her wedding night, the murder of her husband, and a recent break-in - Kate is more than a little protective of her son. Statistics begin to take charge of her life and her cautiousness quickly delves into paranoia and obsession. The iron gate encompassing the entire second floor is the final straw for Kate's in-laws and they begin to wonder if her son might not be better off living with them. Jack is 10, old enough to walk to the convenience store on his own and not worry about monsters in his closet, but Kate's fear has kept him sheltered.
Five years since the death of her husband and Kate is still not ready to move on. It's only at the thought of losing her son that Kate agrees to seek out a therapist and their first meeting couldn't end fast enough. Now each week Kate lies to her sister-in-law about where she's going - anywhere but that therapist.
One day she stops into a cafe and notices a book lying on a nearby table. Beat the Odds and Change Your Life by Jago Martin, Professor at the University of Edinburgh. Kate wastes no time in flipping through the chapters. Topics on how to improve the chance of avoiding car accidents and selecting the best airline ring loud and clear and when the owner of the book returns to his table, she has to force herself to hand the book back. The two strike up a conversation and she realizes he's the author: Jago Martin. More out of necessity than anything, Kate wants to know where he came up with his numbers, his facts.
Back at Kate's house, Jack's closet door opens. It seems his monsters aren't so imaginary after all.
To say I enjoyed this book would be an understatement. To say I really enjoyed this book would be putting it lightly. For four days I lived and breathed Accidents Happen, fully immersed while reading and when I wasn't I was thinking of nothing but getting back to it. Right from the start you learn Kate's fears are very real, there actually is someone entering their home any time she's gone. A hole cut into the back of Jack's closet is the perfect passageway from the other side of their duplex. Magnus is free to come and go as he pleases and doesn't hesitate to help himself to some of Kate's lotion or whatever is in the fridge. Logic (and her mother-in-law) tells Kate that perhaps she used a little more lotion than she thought or maybe Jack wanted a midnight snack, but the truth is far more frightening. More than once I was so overwhelmed with emotion I had to set the book down. Despite Kate's alarm system and other precautions, Magnus still found a way to enter her home and that terrified me.
As the story progressed I quickly figured out who the Bad Guy was but it didn't dampen my enjoyment at all. Accidents Happen is a little on the longer side, but the pace is so blindingly fast I actually had to slow myself down in an attempt to stay with this wonderful book as long as possible. Whether you're a long-time thriller fan or a YA fan looking for something new, I highly recommend Accidents Happen. This book was intense and riveting with plot twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat.