Point of View

The book is written from four different points of view, providing four different perspectives on the impact of one central event. Dolores Driscoll is the narrator of the first chapter of the book. She is the driver behind the wheel of the school bus that crashes into an icy body of water, killing fourteen of the kids on board and injuring others. Dolores’ narration shapes the picture of what happened in the final moments before the accident. She returns as the narrator of the fifth and final chapter, narrating a scene nearly seven months following the accident – a scene in which she finally finds some closure.

Billy Ansel is a highly regarded citizen of Sam Dent who loses his twin children in the school bus accident. He is the narrator of the second chapter. Though Billy addresses grief on a personal level, he also emphasizes...