Catch Her When She Falls
I found this book suspenseful and wonderfully written. It begins with a flat statement: “Ten years ago, my boyfriend killed my best friend.” The rest of the book delves into the truth of that statement, digging deeper to reveal details of what actually happened and why it matters.
The key story line takes place over one day; the main protagonist, Micah, is in her car, driving from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts to confront someone. Until well into the story, we don't know who that person is.
But the real story is the one Micah tells, addressing that unnamed someone as she drives. There is a ticking-clock element as we watch her getting closer and closer—both geographically and metaphorically—to her final destination.
As Faulkner said, "the past is not even past," and that is very true of this dual-timeline story, where the past is very much a part of Micah’s present as she struggles to remember what happened on that crucial night long ago.
Buccola writes with a sure hand, conveying a richness of detail as Micah’s memories unfold, without over-weighting the text with descriptions or flashbacks. Published February 2022, this is her debut novel; she is clearly a writer to watch in the future.
Buccola is an attorney with a JD from the University of Chicago. She lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and their two young children.