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Ash Wednesday
by Ethan Hawke
Another Enjoyable Book from Hawke
"But just because something's your destiny doesn't mean it's gonna be any
good."
This is Hawke's way of both speaking to the reader and confusing them all
in one self-loathing line. In Ethan Hawke's follow up to his acclaimed novel
The Hottest State, Ash Wednesday tells a story about one couple's road trip
toward their future.
Jimmy and Christy are a couple whose love is self-scrutinized, a rocky relationship and now Christy is pregnant so after abandoning the army, Jimmy and Christy begin a road trip from Albany to Texas with an unborn child and plenty of hesitancies. Through a basketball scrimmage with teenage boys, quick church wedding, and a miscarriage scare, they grow both equally together and apart. This is not a naïve couple looking blissfully into the future. In both their lives, they have seen fathers commit suicide and cheat on their
wives. Their cynical approach to marriage is both scary and refreshing.
Hawke successfully puts the reader into the mind of each character. Every
chapter switches points of view so it's easy to follow what each character
is feeling. Hawke's writing makes the character's scares and aspirations
easily understandable and the reader can relate to their numerous feelings.
Eloquent would not rightfully describe Hawke's writing abilities. Hawke is
able to make his characters talk to us and reveal feelings that also plague our
minds. Thought provoking and easy to read, Ash Wednesday may not be
as good as his first novel, but it still challenges the reader to dig deep
inside and find the Jimmy and Christy in all of us.
Title: Ash Wednesday
Author: Ethan Hawke
Publisher: Vintage Contemporaries
ISBN: 037541326X
Review written by: Emily Assad
Reviewer's Rating:8
Reader's Rating: 10.00
Reader's Votes: 2
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