"22 Lives Lost.
One Survivor.
It could
have been anyone.
Why her?"
Autumn Manning is far beyond survivor’s
guilt. Her whole life’s purpose has become an obsession with the twenty-two
passengers who lost their lives a year ago—the day a bomb blasted through the “L”
train she boarded in Chicago. With no husband or children to need her, why did
God choose to spare only her? And why was Autumn even aboard the late train? When
she awakens in the hospital, she has no memory of the blast or the immediate
hours before the disaster, nor does she know the reason she was even on that late train.
Will Autumn be able to fill in the blanks and make sense of the situation?
As the one-year anniversary of Tragedy on the Tracks approaches, Autumn
contacts a family member of one of the victims. That one regrettable action
opens a Pandora’s box of emotions and events as grieving souls try to move
forward with their lives.
Family members want their loved ones
to be remembered—all but one. Paul Elliott wants to shield his children and
safeguard his career and let the past stay in the past.
Such tragedies bring some closer to
God, while others turn their backs to Him. Will Autumn and Paul be able to
restore their weakened faith and return to a fulfilling life among the living?
This book has been on my want-to-read
list since before it was released in April of 2017. I hadn’t got to it yet, so I’m
glad it popped up on NetGalley’s site.
I’ve read a half-dozen of Ganshert’s books, so I expected
good writing. I wasn’t disappointed. Kudos to the editors. The story moved along at a good pace. Ganshert
did a great job of getting me into the characters heads, filling me with compassion
for them. I wanted to read it straight through.
This book gives an authentic glimpse
into PTSD and survivor’s guilt. You walk with the characters as they battle the
demons birthed the day of the disaster. You cheer for them as they baby-step away
from the chains that have bound them since that fateful day. You cry for joy as
Autumn achieves each little success.
NO SPOILERS: The ending of the story
was perfect. Not the happily-ever-after of a romance, but it’s oozing with hope
and healing. This story has a very strong inspirational thread and rates a zero
on the blush factor. A perfect read for a teen or her grandmother.
I give this book FIVE
stars because that’s the max.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from
WaterBrook & Multnomah via NetGalley.
Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
