When he was 18, Darin Strauss collided with a high school classmate. He was driving a car; she was riding a bicycle. She died. Written twenty years later, this accident memoir retraces the guilt, shame, confusion and social awkwardness Strauss felt right after the event and for years afterwards. Though all the witnesses said she had darted suddenly into traffic; though the police said he was not at fault; though the law suit filed by the girl’s parents never went to trial, Strauss struggled to find a way to live with the fact that he had killed a girl. This book is a searing reminder of the very real damage done to humans by cars, even those lucky enough to walk away from fatal accidents.
Just as Strauss’s book was published, the movie “Rabbit Hole” appeared in U.S. theatres. Based on a Pulitzer-Prize winning play, this movie focuses on a couple dealing with the death of their four-year-old son who was run down by a car in front of their suburban home. The movie offers yet another look at the aftermath of auto fatalities, including the mother, played by Nicole Kidman, stalking the teenage driver of the car that killed her son.
Half a Life
Darin Strauss, McSweeney’s, 2010, 205 pages.
Darin Strauss, McSweeney’s, 2010, 205 pages.
One Comment
26 years ago.. Avoiding the person laying in the road, I turned and missed the 16 year old laying dead. As I made the turn, I looked back where I was then going… Looking at me, 10 feet in front of me, no matter what, it was too late. It was 10 at night and a long divided 4 lane. I knew both boys, they were very respectable.
That night was HELL. Many lives were destoryed. I was driving by the laws, so was the car a mile in front of me. But driving is very dangerous and no matter how safe one drives, it is not controllable.
I haven’t driven in years. It became too much on me…
If I had a choice, I would have been riding a bicycle that night…. next time, I will be on my bicycle.