Twice The Speed of Dark

Twice the Speed of Dark is a very interesting story. Told in the first person of a mother and her 19 year old murdered daughter, Twice the Speed of Dark takes place in a small town outside of Oxford, England. Caitlin is killed when her live-in boyfriend Ryan loses his temper one time too many and swats her good again, but in her fall she hits her head on a piece of furniture and dies. The jury saw this sweet faced blonde fella and decided it was manslaughter, giving him jail time of just a little under ten years. Her parents, Anna and Michael, cannot help each other through the pain, and separate shortly after the trail, Michael moving on and Anna remaining in the family home. But she cannot get out the the loop of mourning and anger. Eventually she retires, which only makes matters worse as she is constantly in the place where memories haunt her every moment.

And then Ryan is released from jail, and returns to the home of his mother. Shopping for a birthday gift for her dear friend, Anna sees him, walking down the street free as a bird and laughing as he talks on his cell phone. But Caitlin is still dead. And Anna comes unglued. How can she live, with him around, constantly reminding her of the injustice of her loss?