The Possibilities

Starred review from January 13, 2014
A grieving mother tries to make peace with her son’s death in this wry and heartwarming second novel from the author of The Descendants. Sarah St. John, a talk show host in the seasonal ski town of Breckenridge, Colo., is devastated when her 22-year-old son, Cully, is killed by an avalanche. She seeks solace in an unorthodox support group: her impolitic father, who lives with her; her best friend, Suzanne, whose own divorce occupies her attention; and Billy, Cully’s father, whose distance from Sarah’s life diminishes as they grieve for their son together. On the cusp of emotional recovery, Sarah and her family are thrown again when they meet a young woman whose story raises new questions about Cully’s life. With a deft and dry humor, Hemmings tackles the unique and unexpectedly humorous ways in which one is expected to mourn: a woman in town whose son died in a similar accident asks Sarah to join Parents Against Avalanche Disaster, “as if by not joining PAAD you were promoting avalanche disaster.” But, on closer inspection, the novel is a treatise on parenthood: Sarah struggles less with Cully’s death, and more with the fear that she never really knew him at all. “What’s the point of everything parents do,” she asks herself, “if the kids aren’t going to employ us?” Agent: David Forrer, Inkwell Management.

February 15, 2014

Because Hemmings's first novel, The Descendants, was adapted into a successful movie starring George Clooney, her follow-up is bound to be held up to that standard. There are many similarities: both novels center on dealing with grief and illustrate the author's love of place; sunny Hawaii in the former and Breckenridge, CO, in the latter. Both provide bright splashes of humor mixed with insight into messy family relationships. Narrator Sarah St. John is a single mom whose 22-year-old son, Cully, died in an avalanche while snowboarding. Sarah is struggling to come to terms with Cully's death, as is her father, Lyle, and Cully's father, Billy, whom Sarah never married. When Kit appears with her own reasons to mourn Cully, all the protagonists start thinking about the possibilities of what could have been and what could be. VERDICT The book has some rambling, stream-of-consciousness moments while Sarah tries to process all her emotions, and it lacks a deliciously snarky teenage character--but does offer a comic foil in Suzanne, Sarah's pot-smoking, plain-speaking best friend. Despite these slight flaws, this is a strong second showing for readers who enjoy modern characters, some laughs, and a good cry. [See Prepub Alert, 11/11/13.]--Christine Perkins, Whatcom County Lib. Syst., Bellingham, WA

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