Four for the Road

CW: Main characters have recently experienced death of a parent, spouse, or sibling.

3.5 stars. More than a year after his mother was killed in a drunk driving incident, Asher is not okay. He's angry, overprotective of his younger sister, and sometimes just numb. But when he starts attending group meetings for those who have lost someone they loved, he makes connections for the first time with others who understand what he is experiencing. So when Asher decides to embark on a vengeful road trip, he invites his fellow group members (two teenagers and one older adult) to accompany him.

Asher's plan is ill-conceived and even cruel, but it is easy to understand how his grief blinds him to anyone else's pain. By the end he has taken some definite steps towards healing and finds ways to support his new friends as much as they take care of him. The only false notes are the inclusion of a romance thread, which feels forced, and a secondary female character whose reaction to Asher's behavior is inconceivably generous. Also, I'm not sure that elderly widower Henry's behavior (he carries his wife's ashes around and still talks to her) should have been taken so lightly.

A wrenching read, recommended for those looking for something serious but hopeful.