But these efforts serve only to further punish Jude herself: not only does she effectively lose Lexi, too, but she pushes away her devastated son. Jude, who has always been protective to a fault, lashes out at Lexi as a result, pressing for a harsh penalty to avenge her daughters death. The effect that this accident has on all parties is obviously devastating: Lexi loses her best friend, and of course her lover Zach, while Jude loses her biological daughter Mia, and also her soi-disant adopted daughter, Lexi.

The catalyst, of course, is the death of Mia, Judes daughter and Lexis best friend, in a road accidentan accident caused by Lexi, who was at the wheel at the time, and drunk. The narrative initially traces Lexis efforts to become integrated into the world in which the Farradays inhabit, but soon splits into a dual narrative: that of Lexi and the struggles she faces to become accepted both the first, and a second time, and that of Jude Farraday, the claustrophobically protective mother of twins Mia and Jude.Ĭuriously, I couldnt help but think of F Scott Fizgeralds Tender is the Night ( see my review) when reading Night Road, as both novels deal with the growth of one character at the expense of another: in Night Road, Lexi comes into her own as Jude flails, and then, conversely, Jude takes a sense of power from Lexis social demise. Yes, the against-all-odds approach is more than cliched, but Hannah manages to take her characters beyond archetypes and imbue them with such a sense of self that its difficult not to feel compassionate towards them. (the spoiler-averse might wish to stop reading here, as my analysis touches on some key plot points you may prefer to read for yourself)īest-selling author Kristen Hannah writes with confidence and flair, and it took me all of a few pages until I was completely enamoured of Lexi and her story. The consequences are far-reaching, and both Lexi and the Farradays find that piecing back together their lives is a far greater challenge than they ever imaginedparticularly when the past refuses to remain where it belongs. But a fatal accident sees Lexis, and the Farradays, lives torn apart. The picture-perfect Farradays are soon a second family to Lexi, and their ties become closer when she begins dating Zach, Mias twin brother.

She finds herself attending a good school in a good community, and quickly becomes close friends with Mia Farraday. But when she is legally adopted by her aunt, Lexis life takes a turn for the better. With an absent father and heroin-addict mother, Lexi finds herself shunted from foster home to foster home. Lexi Baills life has been anything but easy.

Night road hannah