Accidents Happen by Louise Millar

3.0 out of 5 stars "Beat the odds and change your life..."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kate Parker, single mother to Jack, is really great at one thing: worrying. She investigates and compiles statistics about accidents. Obsessed with safety and protecting herself and Jack, she refrains from allowing herself and her son anything resembling a normal life. Kate became like this because of a series of horribly freak occurrences that have traumatized her and rendered her anxious and full of doom and gloom: her parents were killed in a taxi accident on her wedding day and her husband, Hugo, was murdered in a home invasion and then her home was burglarized twice. Her overly protective actions are smothering Jack and now her in-laws are making noises about taking him to live with them while Kate gets herself back together. A chance meeting at a juice bar brings Jago Martin into her life. Professor Martin, a handsome Scot from Edinburgh, is doing a guest lectureship on the topic of chance and probability at the nearby university and Kate discovers he has written a book on the topic. Eager to immerse herself in endless calculations about risk and danger with an expert, she is amazed to find herself wanting to spend time with him and opens herself up to a possible romance. Jago seems to instantly understand Kate's fear and obsession and suggests that they work together to help her by doing a series of experiments to increase empowerment so she doesn't feel so threatened. Kate jumps in, desperate to free herself from her thoughts that have created a prison-like world for her and Jack.

 

At this point in the book, the reader knows what is likely going to happen and wants to shake Kate until her teeth rattle. Kate is 30 years old, what in the heck is she thinking? It is clear that her emotional state has blocked most of her common sense and the worry has been transferred to the reader wondering what next bad thing will happen as Kate begins to take risks and do crazy things -- at Jago's urging. The choices she makes are hard to understand given her history, but desperate times apparently call for desperate measures. The narrative has some suspense but plays out predictably with few surprises.

It's a quick, entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ebook to review.