Review of One Summer by David Baldacci

One Summer
David Baldacci
Grand Central
ISBN 13: 9780446583145
337 pages

It’s days until Christmas and this year in the Armstrong home they aren’t waiting for Santa, they’re waiting for dad to die. Jack Armstrong gave it the good fight and in the end it’s the kids and especially Lizzie that he’ll miss when the light finally goes out. He spends his final days with what little strength he has to write Lizzie a letter a day in which to pour out his heart and his love.  Then on Christmas Eve the unthinkable happens and Lizzie is killed in an accident. Left with no choice Jack agrees to go into Hospice care while the children are whisked away and split up between family members far away while he’s left to die alone. With only breaths left Jack makes his peace only to find that the universe has something entirely different in store for him.  

David Baldacci is in a class by himself when it comes to telling a story, from the first paragraph he has his audience right in the palm of his hand and in this case with tissues. He takes us on an emotional ride with his plot of death, illness, regret and despair and just when all faith is gone he gives us that ultimate emotion, hope. The narrative is so exact that you can feel the salt breeze on your face and the brightness of the lighthouse in your eyes. The author then goes one step more and conveys his characters emotions so well that you can feel the anger the hurt and the joy in equal measure. He gives us remarkably unforgettable characters, not celebrities but just everyday Joe and Jills that put one foot in front of the other to make it through another day. Mr. Baldacci does an amazing job with his protagonist Jack, portraying a realistic picture of a man in crisis. His other characters are imperative to his story, from the children to Jack’s in-laws, Jenna and Liam to the petty villains.

Be prepared for a memorable journey, a journey from the abyss back to the living, from the heartbreak of loss to the spirit of renewal, from the terror of loosing love to the elation of finding it again and maybe the most important lesson we’ll learn is that blind faith is blind for a reason. Take this journey with your eyes open so you don’t miss a stop on the trip because with every destination you’ll learn something important.

This is a love story, a family drama, and an important piece of literary fiction, it’s also the first must read of the summer and a title you’ll find yourself going back to time and time again.
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