One day changes three lives
A horrific incident in their childhood haunts three adults whose lives are measured by bouts of guilt, revenge and regret because of what happened in the woods one day.
Christopher J. Yates delivers an unconventional thriller with “Grist Mill Road.” He constantly shifts perceptions and allegiances about each character, and shows the fragility and fallacy of memory.
The edgy “Grist Mill Road” begins in 1982 as Hannah Jensen, 13, Matthew Weaver, 13, and Patrick McConnell, 12, maneuver the perils of being children on the cusp of becoming full-fledged teenagers. Despite outward appearances, none has a particularly idyllic childhood. The boys often escape to the wooded Swangum Ridge outside Roseborn, N.Y., “where you could shape your own world up there,” Matthew remembers.
Then one day, seemingly without warning or cause, Matthew ties up Hannah and shoots her with a bb gun while he was separated from Patrick. The crime changed the trajectory of the three as well as their families, especially Patrick’s. His father was a rising politician.
Flash-forward 26 years. Hannah, blind in one eye, has become a hardcharging crime reporter and, in an odd turn of events, is now married to Patrick. Careerwise, Patrick hasn’t done as well — he spends most of his time following the boss who fired him, thinking about ways to get even. He also writes a food blog that suddenly seems to be taking off.
Then Matthew re-enters their lives, dredging up painful memories and a simmering hatred that has never been resolved.
“Grist Mill Road” spins on complicated relationships and unresolved emotions. As Yates delves into each character’s psyche, different motives arise. One won’t feel the same about each character as the story evolves.
Grist Mill Road works as a metaphor for the worst in human behavior as each of the characters has taken a different path in life in this exceptional psychological thriller. Oline H. Cogdill can be reached at olinecog@aol.com.