Book: One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf
Pages: 370
Genre: Fiction
Source: Library
Short Synopsis: The day starts out as any normal day in a small town. It isn't until a mysterious gunman shows up at the local school, and things start to go crazy when the school goes into a lockdown mode.
My Thoughts: A very haunting tale of how far one man will go to get the revenge he thinks he deserves.
In her most emotionally charged novel to date, New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf explores the unspoken events that shape a community, the ties between parents and their children and how the fragile normalcy of our everyday life is so easily shattered. In the midst of a sudden spring snowstorm, an unknown man armed with a gun walks into an elementary school classroom. Outside the school, the town of Broken Branch watches and waits.
Officer Meg Barrett holds the responsibility for the town's children in her hands. Will Thwaite, reluctantly entrusted with the care of his two grandchildren by the daughter who left home years earlier, stands by helplessly and wonders if he has failed his child again. Trapped in her classroom, Evelyn Oliver watches for an opportunity to rescue the children in her care. And thirteen-year-old Augie Baker, already struggling with the aftermath of a terrible accident that has brought her to Broken Branch, will risk her own safety to protect her little brother.
As tension mounts with each passing minute, the hidden fears and grudges of the small town are revealed as the people of Broken Branch race to uncover the identity of the stranger who holds their children hostage.
--From Goodreads
A bit different than my normal reads, I was intrigued by the plot, as this is a situation that has been creeping up more recently in real life, and could happen anywhere at any time. Told in multiple points of views, One Breath Away tells a story of how a gunman infiltrates a local school in a small town, and the reactions to angry, worried parents, and the policemen involved.
The majority of the novel centers around a family, a mother named Holly who was recently involved in a fire accident, her two kids, Augie and PJ, a teacher, the kids' grandfather, and a fellow officer named Meg. I wasn't much of a fan of the multiple point of views and understood why it was done that way, but most times I kept wanting to find out what happened more in one part of a character's lives, than others.
This is a fast paced, emotional read, as the reader experiences strings of what ifs, and we take a look at how a small town handles a daunting crisis. As the children realize that a gunman is in the school, there are many guesses as to whose father he could be, as the gunman searches for a specific student. It was a bit frustrating to read most of the novel, still clueless as to who the actual gunman was, and what his purpose of being at the school was too. I was a bit disappointed that the actual reason for this gunman wasn't bullying related, as it would have come across as an even more emotional read. As we read along, we also discover how close knit a small town can actually be, and how other individuals will do everything they can to protect the ones they love. One Breath Away is a novel that you have to be in a certain mind set for, as it is a very affective stirring read, one that leaves you wanting more.
Would I recommend this book: Maybe (sensitive issues involved)
Rating: I give this book a 4/5.
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