WOULD YOU

Would you rather know what's going to happen? Or not know? Sixteen-year-old Natalie and her teenage friends love whiling away summer hours eating ice cream and asking hypothetical questions. But when Nat's sister is hit by a car and suffers an irreversible brain injury, tough questions pertaining to life and death are no longer theoretical. Telling the story primarily in the first person, Renée Raudman portrays the pre-accident Nat with a youthful-sounding voice full of exuberance, innocence, humor, and teenage angst. Gradually, a somber tone takes over this heartbreaking story. Through Raudman's restrained narration, Nat evolves into a lovable character who exemplifies the maturity, dignity and grace of a young woman now wise beyond her years. A.R.H. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2009]