Wally Lamb has created another flawed but immensely sympathetic character in 47- year-old high school teacher Caelum Quirk. In his own words, Quirk is onto his ‘three strikes and you’re out spouse’, Maureen, a nurse. After Maureen has an affair, they make a fresh start in Littleton, Colorado, where they both find work at Columbine High School. In a twist of fate, Caelum is away from the school on the day that two students commit their horrific massacre, but Maureen hides in a cupboard, fully expecting to be found and killed. With Maureen suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, they leave Colorado for the Quirk family farm in Three Rivers. But the effects of chaos are not so easily put right, and further tragedy ensues. While Maureen fights to regain her sanity, Caelum discovers old diaries, letters, and newspaper clippings in an upstairs bedroom of his family’s house. Now it is not only Maureen who must struggle to understand the world and her place in it, but Caelum also.

The size of this book should not be intimidating; the narrative and characters are gripping, and it would also make a great holiday read.