An Accidental Light

by Elizabeth Diamond

Book Overview

"Why didn't you have your headlights on?" . . . I couldn't tell him about the light in November. When it's easy not to notice the first signs of dusk. When shapes suddenly lose their edges and a girl... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1590513010
• ISBN13: 9781590513019
• Release Date: February 2009
• Publisher: Other Press (NY)
• Length: 277 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.2" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

When accidents happen

British policeman Jack Philips hit and killed thirteen year old Laura Jenkins when she ran out from behind a bus. Although an inquest deemed him not at fault, the accident forever changed the lives of not only the bereaved Jenkins family, but also the Philips family. Lisa Jenkins thought she was living a happy life with her stable husband Derek and adored daughter Laura. Laura's death ripped the façade of her marriage and sends her searching for proof that Laura is O.K. wherever death has taken her. Jack had a good career, a beautiful wife, and two beautiful daughters, but the stress from the accident caused his life to collapse. Both Lisa and Jack spend time working through their grief; the loss of Laura, the loss of their marriages; and the loss of their parents. It is not until they work through all of these issues that true healing begins on any of them. This is a good book; quiet (not many edge-of-the-seat moments) and a very fast read. I recommend it to anyone who likes books dealing with relationships, especially family conflict.

really held my attention

i found this book very interesting. it deals with the emotional side of a child's death - from the policeman who accidently killed a child to the effect it had on his marriage to the parents of the child - and how the loss of their child changed the lives of everyone involved. very good reading, highly recommend it.

A superb first novel!

Superb! Ms. Diamond's empathetic first novel chronicles the pain and grief of two families inadvertently and inextricably intertwined by the death of a child. A young girl darts across the street from behind a bus at dusk - and into the path of a car driven by a London police officer. She is killed, dying almost instantly. An Accidental Light follows the lives of the driver, Jack, and the mother, Lisa, through the following year or so. Both of their lives are changed, along with those of their families. For both of them, that year is first a dark hole, then slowly works it's way into a different life. The book's format lays out all of these events first from Jack's perspective, then Lisa's. It is very well done. The reader gets a real sense of being there, in the midst of the physical and emotianol upheaval and slow recovery. There is a sense that Ms. Diamond has been where her characters are, that she truly understands their pain. Truly a 5 star book. I look forward to reading more of her work.

Most believable read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Wasn't entirely sure what I was getting when I ordered this book but I'm glad I did. It's very believable and the author makes you want to pick up the book and keep on reading. The story is about Jack, a police officer who accidently runs over Laura and goes into therapy because he can't deal with killing someone, even accidentally. He then begins to see Laura's ghost. I must say it's not a creepy or ghostly book. It's a book about many things, but mostly forgiveness. I'd definitely recommend this book.

Excellent debut...

I think the best books are those that grab you on the first page and never let go. AN ACCIDENTAL LIGHT is just such a book. On a rainy November evening at dusk, policeman Jack Phillips is driving home after work and a pint at the pub, when 13 year-old Laura Jenkins runs out in front of his car from behind a bus. Jack hits her and she dies. There was nothing he could do. It truly was accident. This moment sets off a chain of events that will completely alter not only Jack's life, but the lives of Lisa and Derek, Laura's parents. The story is told in the voices of Jack and Lisa. Jack tells his story in a journal he's writing for his therapist. Lisa addresses her story to Laura. Each struggling with what has happened. Jack quits his job. Lisa asks her husband to leave. Both need to reconnect with family. Both have "seen" Laura. While on the surface one might assume this is a ghost story, it is not. Yes, the sightings of Laura play an integral part in the story, but ultimately this is a story about love, grief, sorrow and forgiveness. Most importantly, it is a book about moving on after a tragedy occurs. Author Elizabeth Diamond has done a wonderful job in bringing these characters to life. I honestly got a great sense of what each character was feeling. It always amazes me when an author can make me feel like fictional characters are actually part of my own life and Diamond did that here. The writing is wonderful. I was riveted to the book and never list interest. Elizabeth Diamond has written a remarkable debut novel with AN ACCIDENTAL LIGHT. I look forward to reading her next novel.