In An Instant by Suzanne Redfearn
Grief is something we all face at some point in our lives, it can knock us completely off-kilter and we are left wondering how we will ever pick ourselves up and put the piece back together again. For me, I think it's one of the most personal things you can write or talk about. Each person will feel it in a different way but as a reader, you still want to be able to see a little of your own experience reflected back at you. I figure it must be a very tricky thing to write especially when it comes to fiction. Such is the case in In An Instant. You have to get the reader to care about these people in a very quick space of time before things start to go wrong. There is a fine line to be walked here and one that a good writer can do with skill and grace and a bad one will leave you heading for the nearest charity shop to add to their pile.
With Finn Miller, we are given this in the shape of her family getting ready for their trip. The chaos and mayhem are something that is easily relatable, we can see our own families here or trips with our friends. Rarely is everyone ready at the same time and things get missed and remember in between breaths. But it works effectively to get us into the right headspace when the inevitable happens. And as tragedy strikes, we are pulled down the side of this mountain along with our heroes. For me, it was easy to get swept up here with what befalls this family and I think in part that is due to its realism. I do appreciate that being put in Finn's perspective does step well out of the realms of the real but everything she witnesses is most definitely not. There are no reprieves from the witty side characters or side plots that babbles along to give us some rest bite. What you get here is a family being torn apart by impossible decisions and unforeseen consequences.
We are left with is a slice of what tragedy and grief really feel like. The decisions they are forces to make feel just as heartbreaking for the characters as they do us as we read alongside. There were times I was left wondering could I make those decisions if put in the same situation. And honestly I not sure. In part, it's because we are unable to see all the possible outcomes of our actions. Too often especially in this case things happened that our heroes could never have thought would. When pulled together what we get is a very visceral experience of grief and loss. Much like our protagonist, we are tormented by an inability to intervene in the unfurling narrative. It is however done in such a way that it feels organic and natural. At not point did it feel to me the author was sat thinking right now I need something to whack them right in the gut again.
It is easy to become enthralled with this book, Redfearn has done a great job in capturing what it means to go through loss. That feeling of utter helplessness and this need to assign blame no matter whether it is justly done. It is still however a book I think you need to be in the right frame of mind to read. Whilst its overall message is one of redemption and an ability to learn to live with what has taken place. It is sure to take you through a long and heartbreaking trek to get there.
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