On a cold February night in 2007 a car accident involving a drunk driver took the lives of Michelle Williams and two of her children. Her husband, Chris, survived and immediately made the decision to let it go, to forgive the teenage driver who inflicted this great pain on him, and to move forward with faith. This book tells his story of leaning on the Savior immediately after the accident and every day since, of learning how to lay down his burdens when they were too heavy to bear, and of how he was able to freely forgive and find peace in the midst of such a traumatic experience.
I was worried this book would be desperately sad and/or preachy. While it certainly wasn’t light reading, I really can’t say this was a sad book. It focuses on a horrific tragedy, the greatest sorrow of this man’s life, but he has such faith and optimism and hope going forward that this is a book of triumph over tragedy, of finding joy through our sorrows, of how to lay down your burdens and continue serving others. It was uplifting and inspiring. It made me want to do the same, to lay down my burdens and let them go, so that I can find peace.
As for the preachy part…it is definitely a religious book. And more specifically, a Mormon book. Normally I don’t pick up religious books very often, but this was a book club pick. Being a devout Mormon, I felt right at home with the religious references and Latter-Day language, but I could see it being a little confusing if you weren’t familiar with the lingo.
While this was not Great Literature, it was definitely a worthwhile read. 3 stars.
BOOKBURGER 