Honor gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen Rusty in ages, but it’s obvious he is as arrogant and stubborn as ever—not to mention drop-dead gorgeous. Despite Honor’s better judgment, the two set off together on a voyage from Texas to California. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn’s memory—but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences? (From Godreads)
I've had books that leave me crying at the end, or that illicit a few tears through the middle, but I have to say this is the first book that had me broken down and sobbing on the first page. That wave of emotion I felt at the very beginning receeded and came crashing back just as if the pages of this book were drops of water in the ocean. The movement and the emotion are the power behind this story.
I loved Honor and Rusty together. They spent the trip rebuilding a broken relationship, almost as if their reunion was a side effect of the grieving and healing process. Both of them have pasts which are rooted in their memories of Finn, and because of this there's an organic separation of past and present. The only time anything is remembered or has already happen, Finn is a part of it. But we don't know much about who Honor or Finn were before he died. We get to see them now, and we get to see them move forward, in a future where Finn isn't present. And that time between when he enlisted and when he died barely seems to exist outside of a few recalled letters. It's almost as if the world was suspended and the conclusion of that, unfortunately occuring in Finns' death, allowed them, or rather, propelled them forward finally. The dynamics of time are so interesting in this respect.
My only complaint is that it was too short. I really wish there was more to this story, but I do love that, inspite of the death that begins Honor's journey, there's so much living that she does in this short amount of time. Honor is so open to experiencing new things, it's inspiring. The book is all about honoring Finn, the wonderful human being who sacrificed his life for his family and his country. He's a beautiful person and so worth honoring. And Honor shows that the best way to honor lost loved ones is to live. (*And cue more tears.)
