“You can do everything perfectly. …And you still won’t get the results you deserve. Life is crazy and maddening and often makes no sense.”
Jack is dying. He has a rare disease and is trying to hang on until after Christmas to enjoy one last holiday with his wife and three children. Just as he readies himself to say goodbye, his wife dies in a car accident. No one was prepared for that and the children get sent to relatives while Jack goes to a hospice so his children don’t have to see him die. A miracle happens at the hospice, though – Jack gets better.
I have read David Baldacci’s The Christmas Train, but not any of his typical crime thriller books. I enjoyed The Christmas Train, so when I saw he had written another non-typical book, One Summer, I knew I had to read it. I picked it for the June Online Book Club since it was about the summertime.
Once Jack gets back on his feet, he takes his children to his wife’s childhood home for the summer. She had planned to take them after his death, so he decides to honor her wish. As he grieves, he must also find the balance of working, repairing the house and lighthouse and raising three children, one of which is a teenage daughter. It’s a journey of love, forgiveness and family.
One Summer is a very good story that will reach into the reader’s heart and soul as you journey with Jack and his children. It’s a great book for high school readers and older. While there is some teenage bullying and death, the book isn’t graphic. It would be a great summer read and lends itself to a good book club discussion.
If you read One Summer, join our Online Book Club and discuss it with us!