📖 Book Review ~ Collision by J M Monaco

Luminosa Books
14 August 2024

My thanks to the author for the copy of this book

Four People. Their Secrets. One Tragic Day.

Tragedy strikes when a teenage boy is killed in a hit and run. Why didn’t the driver stop? Why did the boy run into the street?

2018, Bristol. On his way to a boxing session, fifteen-year-old Kieran runs into the street and is knocked down by a speeding Mercedes. High on cocaine, rich-girl driver Rachel flees the scene. Days later she’s found in a deserted barn and charged with the teen’s death. Over the four months she is held in remand prison awaiting sentencing, Rachel battles with the demons that pushed her over the edge that lethal afternoon.

Rachel’s story and the voices of three others slowly unravel the events and secrets that lay behind what happened that day. Kieran’s mother, Noreen, a cleaner at the university, Kieran’s close friend - girl-boxer, Jess, and Rachel’s cardiologist father, Leo, all wish they could turn back the clock. In their grief and driven by guilt, their worlds collide as they face the truth of the roles they played in the tragedy.

📖 My Review..

All too often we hear of fatal road traffic accidents and whilst we stop to consider the sadness and tragedy of it there are also wider implications which are not always considered. It’s not just about the victims or their family and friends but also about the perpetrators of the crime and the effect that the tragedy could have on so many other people who are both directly and indirectly involved. Told in four distinct voices Collision looks at the events following the hit and run accident of a fifteen year old boy. We get the thoughts and emotions of Kieran’s mother, Noreen, his friend Jess, alongside the devastation of Leo, who is the father of Rachel, the twenty-one year old driver of the vehicle involved in the hit and run.

There are real emotions at play here and as we get drawn further into the story so the tragic events start to unfold. Identifying with each of the characters is where the strength of the novel lies and all credit to the author for giving each viewpoint so successfully. I felt emotionally connected with each of them, particularly the parents whose shock and sadness is tangible and their heartfelt bewilderment at the loss of a young life. Emotional and heart wrenching in places, this a powerful story about loss and grief, about the repercussions of what happens when things spiral of control, of how lives can change in a heartbeat and finally, whether in the face of great hurt there can ever be the chance of forgiveness.

Collision is one of those quietly, strong stories, beautifully written and acutely observed, I really enjoyed reading it and look forward to more from this talented writer.

About the Author

JM Monaco grew up in the Boston area, USA. She studied English and Creative Writing as an undergraduate at Tufts University. After working in a variety of areas, including desk-top publishing and as a secondary school teacher, she took up graduate studies. Her PhD from the University of Bristol examined quality television drama and its internet fandom. She has lived in Bristol since 1996.

Collision is her second novel. Her first novel is How We Remember (2018).

Twitter / X @jm_monaco2

#Collison