Crook, Elizabeth. Monday, Monday. Sarah Crichton: Farrar. May 2014. 352p. ISBN 9780374228828. $26; ebk. ISBN 9780374711375. F
On August 1, 1966, Charles Whitman opened fire on the University of Texas at Austin campus, killing 16 people and injuring 32 before being killed by the police. This fictionalized account by Texas native Crook (The Raven's Bride) begins on this terrible day with Shelly, a student shot and bleeding on the campus plaza. Cousins Wyatt and Jack rush to help the victims and hence entangle their futures forever with Shelly's. We follow the three and their extended families for the next four decades, as secrets unravel and the tragedy they faced still resonates. Love, loss, redemption, forgiveness--all are expertly drawn in a narrative that is so very authentic and generous. Crook skillfully weaves together several compelling stories through her close attention to the Texas setting. VERDICT The sensitively explored themes of adoption and coping with violence should create interest in this rich and satisfying tale, which will also appeal to fans of fiction focusing on recent history or the Texas Hill Country.--Jennifer B. Stidham, Houston Community Coll. Northeast