The Sweet Hereafter

The Sweet Hereafter isn't the happiest story on the bookshelf. The author, Russell Banks, delves deep into topics like death, incest, infidelity, greed, and sexual molestation. But Banks puts the readers through all of this misery for a reason and, in the end, he gives a great picture of how a town suffers, and then climbs its way back from the depths of despair to a bitter sweet ending.

The Sweet Hereafter's cover

The Sweet Hereafter takes place in the fictional town of Sam Dent. Sam Dent is located in the very real geography of upstate New York. Many places such as Keene Valley, Plattsburgh, and Lake Placid are also named in the book.

The story is about a small town that suffers a bus accident that takes the lives of nearly half the town's children. This tragedy, and it's aftereffects are told from the point of view of four different narrators: the driver of the bus, the father of two of the children who are killed, a girl who lived through the accident, and the lawyer who tries to help the families sue. Each of these narrators has their own secrets, and we have the luxury of seeing each of them through the eyes of the other. This unique and very personal narration helps the reader understand the accident and the effect it has on the whole town.

One problem with the narration is that Banks has trouble making some of the narrators sound believable, in particular Dolores Driscoll, the bus driver. When we read her chapters, we don't get the sense of an elderly woman driven to the depths of despair and guilt. We don't get a clear sense of her character, but the emotion of her character absolutely pours out.

Overall, The Sweet Hereafter is a sorrowful tale about tragedy in upstate New York, and how we deal with life in the Adirondacks, be it sweet or bitter.

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