Everything That Follows by Meg Little Reilly
CAUGHT IN THE BACKWASH, THEY HAVE LOST CONTROL OF THEIR LIVES…
For fans of Megan Abbott and Chris Bohjalian comes a novel of moral complexity about friends who must choose between self-preservation and doing the right thing in the wake of a fatal boating accident. Set in the moody off-season of Martha’s Vineyard, Everything That Follows is a plunge into the dark waters of secrets and flexible morals. The truth becomes whatever we say it is…
Around midnight, three friends take their partying from bar to boat on a misty fall evening. Just as the weather deteriorates, one of them suddenly and confusingly goes overboard. Is it an accident? The result of an unwanted advance? His body disappears quickly, silently, into the dark water. The circumstances are murky, but what is clear is that the other two need to notify the authorities. Minutes become hours become days as they hesitate, caught up in their guilt and hope that their friend has somehow made it safely to shore. As valuable time passes, they find themselves deep in a moral morass with huge implications as they struggle to move forward and live with their dark secret.
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Praise for Everything That Follows
Taut with moral complexity and a subtly building tension, this is the kind of story that punishes you if you dare to put it down.”
—Kim Cross, New York Times Bestselling author of What Stands In A Storm
“When the lives of three characters slip their moorings in the wake of a single, harrowing event, Everything That Follows explores not only the ways guilt can shapeshift and grow, but how an idyllic place long considered home becomes more albatross than anchor. Smart, taut, and seductive, Reilly’s second novel immediately catches you in its grip and doesn’t let you go.”
—Michelle Hoover, author of Bottomland and The Quickening
“It is impossible to predict what will happen in EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS, a novel that stays surprising from beginning to end and refuses to provide easy answers for the moral quandaries at its heart.”
—Suzanne Berne, author of The Dogs of Littlefield
Author’s Bio
Meg Little Reilly is the author of the novels EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS and WE ARE UNPREPARED. She’s a public radio commentator, essayist, and outdoors enthusiast. Prior to writing novels, Meg worked in national politics and the White House. She holds a B.A. from the University of Vermont and an M.A. from the George Washington University. These days, she lives in rural Vermont with her husband and two daughters.
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My Review
3 stars
Kat is out celebrating a large sale of her blown glass. Her friend Hunter talks her into continuing the party out on his boat. The new bartender Kyle tags along with the couple. But then a storm comes in and things get sketchy. One thing leads to another and Kyle falls over board. Kat and Hunter look for him hoping to see him surface but start to panic the more than the storm and alcohol happened. They return to shore and although they know they should report Kyle’s disappearance, Kat and Hunter keep their mouths shut hoping Kyle will return on his own.
What follows is Kat and Hunter keeping a huge secret that starts to make Kat’s boyfriend, Sean think something is going on between them. Kat is wracked with guilt and starting to think back to her own past in which she changed her name and started over fresh. Sean is also supposed to keep his nose clean for his father’s senate reelection and thinks he dodged a bullet not getting mixed up in this mess but he is going to learn that it’s still going to affect him.
This was an interesting story. A night of revelry leads to some trouble, some bad decisions, and even worse decisions. Of course you are going to have the guilt of not reporting Kyle’s disappearance. But when you learn of the different secrets, it changes the dynamics of the whole situation. Of course I was not impressed with most of the decisions made.
This is not a bad read, it just didn’t really go anywhere thrilling for me. I would say check it out. You might like it more than me.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
I would like to thank Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and share this book.
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