Waiting on Wednesday: If We Had Known

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature where I highlight a soon to be released title I can't wait to read.

This week's pick:  If We Had Known by Elise Juska
Due out: April 17, 2018

Synopsis taken from Amazon:

A gorgeous and taut literary drama in the vein of We Need to Talk about Kevin, from the critically acclaimed author of The Blessings, about a mother and daughter struggling with guilt, fear, and the dangerous bonds of family in the aftermath of a mass shooting in their small New England town.

After a shooting in her local mall in rural Maine, English professor Maggie Daley is stunned to learn the gunman was her former student. She is further dismayed when she finds an old essay offering clues to his violent nature she might have missed.

Even as the tragedy begins to fade from the national consciousness, its ripple effect on Maggie intensifies, jeopardizing her relationships with those closest to her, including her anxiety-ridden daughter, Anna; her ex-husband; and her boss-not to mention her new, but secret, relationship with a colleague. Meanwhile, a viral social media post prompts further public scrutiny and an investigation into the shooter's troubled past. Feeling pressured from all sides, Maggie begins to fear that her culpability may extend past a simple sense of guilt and put the life she's built at risk.

IF WE HAD KNOWN explores the private implications of public tragedies, how we navigate fear in today's world, and whether it's possible to see anyone-children, parents, students--as they truly are.