The Lucky Ones

The Lucky Ones

YA fiction
"The sight of the metal detectors slams me in the stomach. They
look like something out of a sci-fi movie, something that I would see
in a place that is dangerous and frightening, not in a school
building, but of course they are one and the same, the frightening
places."
A year ago May had gone into a closet looking for an extra music
stand. Suddenly the normal school sounds were shattered by gun shots
and screams. She and the killer were the only ones who left the
school band room alive. The dead included her twin brother, Jordan.
Now, after months of home schooling, she's arriving at the high school
many of her former classmates had been shifted to after the powers
that be had decided that the site of the tragedy was too traumatizing
for learning. It's the last place she wants to be.
"BITCH.
That word, still slightly wet, dripping red paint onto the
asphalt of our driveway, is the first thing I see as I leave the house
to head for school. First thing after winter break--what a great way
to start the semester."
Zach's lawyer mother is defending the shooter, making her the
second most hated person in his high school--after her client. Her
decision to take the case has made Zach and his little sister, Gwenie,
pariahs. Someone keeps on vandalizing their home. But Mom is always
at work, sometimes sleeping in her office. Dad, although physically
present, has checked out mentally and psychologically. So Zach has
had to take care of Gwenie, repair damage to the house, and even shop
for groceries while spending much of his time in a place where he and
his sister are shunned and bullied.
When the two protagonists of Liz Lawson's The Lucky Ones meet up
you'd think they'd want nothing to do with each other.
But you'd be wrong.
The Lucky Ones is impossible to put down, not because of plot
events, but because the reader comes to care about the complex and
likeable but far from perfect narrators and the ways in which they
evolve separately and together.
In her author's note Lawson reminds readers of some sobering
statistics. When she wrote The Lucky Ones in 2019 almost 250 people
had been killed and 228,000 students had experienced gun violence at
school. The prospect has become an ugly new normal. In 2019 when I
saw an empty space in the dishwasher at work my automatic thought
was, this is where I can hide if a shooter comes to Wells.
"I wrote The Lucky Ones for those who have gone through horrific
events like these, and for those who fear that they might endure a
similar fate someday. For those who have made their way through
painful, heartbreaking times and managed to find their way through to
the other side. May's story is one of pain and fear and loss.
Without hope we are lost."
The Lucky Ones is one of the most engaging debut novels ever. I
hope that Lawson is working on more.
On a purrrsonal note, I had a nice little field trip to Bangor today
after I baked my blackberry pie. Bangor Public Library had invited
those of us who had gained digital library cards to come get tangible
ones. I was happy to do that. Since I'd seen the former owner of
Briar Patch (book store) I decided to see if it had changed under new
management. Had it ever--from sweet and precious to hip bordering on
edgy--but still with plenty of good stuff for people of all ages. I
got some good ideas for books to track down on interlibrary loans. I
went to Goodwill and bought nothing. Then at Hannaford I bought
supplies to bake more treats for Eugene. It was a fun trip and I got
home before the heat got too bad. (Jules).
I am not loving this heat. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to all people working to make school
shootings a thing of the past.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway


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