I actually began this with great anticipation. Not only was it voted one of "The Times 100 Most Notable Books," but the idea of a group of young people being randomly involved in a tragic accident, and the effects it had on their lives, was an intriguing one to me.
What happens is that following the wedding of Carmen, a group of young people, drunk, get into a car when they shouldn't have, and inadvertently run down an 11-year-old girl, Casey Redman, who dies before they can summon help. There is ambiguity with one of the characters Nick, who, though straight (????) is dressed in a wedding dress, who supposedly saw the girl coming, and could have prevented the accident, but was stoned, and so struck by the so-called "poetic vision," he did nothing. And it is he, who, over the years, self destructs the most, until he dies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
His fiance, Olivia, who was driving the car, is found guilty, and does time in prison, that maybe some of the others should have She vows to stay with Nick, as long as he does not use, but that does not last too long, so off she goes!!!!!!!. Carmen's sister, Alice, a painter, and a good one, paints a series of Casey portraits, illustrating the girl at various stages of her life she now would never reach!!!!!!!!!!!
And yet. I found the whole thing so apathetic. Carmen does not appear to suffer anything from the experience, nor does she learn from it. This guy with them, Tom Ferris, slinks away with his guitar, and years later, writes his own "Tears In Heaven" hit, concerning the tragedy; not as heartfelt as the real life Clapton, just something he (Ferris) profits by.
Perhaps the siblings--Alice, Carmen and Nick--having a pretty ineffectual set of parents is meant to say something about how they turned out, and how they could have faced this issue with such apathy at the time. I almost did not care. Call me a moralist, but I wanted justice meted out to all of them. Olivia and Nick seem to be the only ones who truly get it, though Alice's artistic expression is a manifestation of her grief and guilt.
The book is written in a minimalist style that is artful enough, but does not dig deep enough into any of its characters, save the tragically addicted Nick, who was once a brilliant astronomer. Maybe that is why he was the most interesting in the group.
"Carry The One" has an interesting premise that will keep you reading to see if it is fully realized. Be prepared to be disappointed, though the writing is skilled, if not the author's narrative development. The sum of its parts are better than the whole!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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