Juliette is in love with Brett - an Afghani war veteran. Brett has come home with some terrible injuries - both physically and mentally. He knows he loved Juliette before he went to Afghanistan, but he is unsure how he feels now and soon breaks off his engagement with her.
Cressida, Juliette's sister has long been secretly in love with Brett as well, and when the engagement with Juliette is terminated, she decides to make her move on Brett.
He rejects her on a monumental level when they are in a nature preserve. He is drunk and falls asleep in hi jeep and Cressida is nowhere to be found. Mixing up events from Afghanistan and the previous evening's tumultuous happenings with Cressida, he assumes he has killed her and admits as much to the police when no one can find her.
The story goes on to detail how Juliette and her parents go on living without Cressida and with Brett in prison. Eventually, you do find out what happened between Cressida and Brett that terrible evening.
This story is tight and as usual with Joyce Carol Oates, well written. While the story is dark, which is typical of the author, the ending is unusually hopeful - making this a truly rare book for Ms. Oates.
Rating: 10 / 10
ISBN: 9780062208125
Publisher: Ecco
Edition: 1st Edition