Lucky

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You’ll have to suspend your disbelief around some of the plot points, but it’s easy to do because Daniel’s voice and point of view are so compelling. He’s full of up-to-date cultural references, progressive social commentary, insight into Americans with disabilities (at least from one perspective), and a ton of humor. One morning Daniel sees a young woman walking down the street past his house. She does this every day. But on this day he sees her get into a car, and the next day he hears she has gone missing. I didn't see her again for a couple days. I heard the news, of course, but she was busy with those things you hope you never know. Later, after the late-night trip to the hospital, and the rape kit, and the meeting with detectives from the sex crimes unit, and a phone call home that I can't imagine but have spent many hours imagining, I went to visit her in her dorm room. I was a bit nervous for this one! We've got a middle-aged white guy writing from the POV of a protagonist with a pretty specific disability (SMA, a degenerative disease*) that he doesn't share, and I wasn't familiar with Leitch as a writer, but this was the only BOTM the month it came out that interested me, so I took a chance, and I'm glad I did! I thought the whole thing was very sensitively done, and I thought Daniel ended up being a great character. SMA is something that he lives with, but he as a person is not his disease, and he has an extremely rich inner life, and a pretty rich outer one as well. He has a great caregiver, a loving mother, a job that he can do from home that supports him well, and a great best friend. He also loves the place he lives, and he has a measure of independence that makes him feel satisfied with his life. I have tried to quit her, but I just cannnnnnn’t *insert sadface* because even though several of her choices have missed the mark for me, my brain keeps telling me there’s always that next Paper Palace coming up soon.

Not a thriller, but has a "I can't stop reading it" kind of feel (even with some slow parts). It's different. This book was incredible! Just the unique and clever type of read I needed. I loved that the main protagonist was disabled and learning about his daily life. I absolutely just fell in love with him; really ALL the supporting characters in this book. This was a special special read that left me with a smile and tears in my eyes. No doubt it’s too early to say, but I think this will be my favorite April read (it’s 4/5 as I write this). I’ll be recommending this to many and am thankful I got early access to it!Matthews, Karen (November 30, 2021). "Author Alice Sebold apologizes to man cleared in 1981 rape". The Associated Press . Retrieved December 1, 2021. What could have happened to this woman? Daniel wants to tell the police what he knows, but will they believe someone like him? What Daniel doesn’t realize is he’ll set a chain of events in motion which could threaten his life—but he’d probably do it anyway for the sake of the young woman. For readers of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Nothing to See Here, a first novel as suspenseful and funny as it is moving, the unforgettable story of a fiercely resilient young man living with a physical disability, and his efforts to solve a mystery unfolding right outside his door.

A huge thank-you to Will Leitch, Harper, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! But at the heart of the story is Daniel’s heart. His goodness, warmth, and positivity. He educates the reader on spinal muscular atrophy, but even more so, the microaggressions and not-so-microaggressions those with physical disabilities are confronted with. I’ll never forget my time spent with Daniel or this most memorable and engaging story.

The first girlfriend I ever had in college was raped at a frat house. We were both freshmen, a few months into our first semester, still in that sheltered bubble of youth, where bad things only happen to strangers. She went out with friends, I made the decision to stay in and study. Thus, for me, the first lesson of college: the choices you make can be the choices you cannot unmake. The comparison to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime was the hook that got me crying over my ARC denial for this one. Okay, that’s not accurate. The house on the cover was the hook (duh) and the comparison just helped seal the deal. For folks curious about life with SMA as a wheelchair-user, for a light mystery heavy on character introspection, for small laughs about dark things The complex follows afterward as Sebold details not only her reaction, but those of the police, the lawyers, her friends, her family, her community's (both college and home) reaction to her rape. This is both raw and compelling because it touches at the complex issues that lie at the hear of any reaction to rape.