NIGHT ROAD by Kristin Hannah

I am veering from my usual mystery reviews to critique a novel by the very talented Kristin Hannah. This novel blew me away. I have read several of Ms. Hannah's books and have enjoyed them all as women's lit. I  liked her previous novels, recommended them to my daughter and her friends, and then sort of thought of them as a nice interlude to other books on my list. However, NIGHT ROAD goes way beyond that; it is remarkable in that I still think about this book days after I finished reading it. It sort of hangs about you, a spectre of a very well crafted novel with so very much to say. NIGHT ROAD delves into very modern issues, does not shy away from them, but does so without preaching which I found refreshing. Her characters are sympathetic  without being treacly. They too, at times, are exasperating, unlikable and extremely flawed. Her characters in this book are no "cookie cutter" one dimensional  protagonists or antagonists. This is what I find so compelling about this book. It does not rely on traditional Women's Lit (not to be confused with Chick Lit), development and sympathetic, tissue soaking to be the backbone of the story. This is not a Kristin Hannah for those who want only roses and perfume and sweet moments on a moonlit beach. I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes a well-written, dare I say it, Women's Novel, who also does not like the dumbing down and sappiness of so much of the genre.