Better than the movie

I'm don't always agree that a book is automatically better than a film based on it. THE ICE STORM by Rick Moody and anything by John Grisham are examples of film treatments being better than the novels they were based on. However, one book that's definitely better than the movie is RESERVATION ROAD by John Schwartz. The book is an examination of how the hit-and-run death of ten-year-old Josh Learner affects his family and also the diver of the car that kills him. The book is told from three perspectives: Ethan, Josh's father and Grace, Josh's mother and Dwight, the driver of the car. These three characters take turns narrating the events of the novel and as they do, the tension starts to build towards a provacative climax. Schwartz does a good job of differentiating each character and as the book progresses, the reader begins to understand each person's motivations and decisions more fully. At less than 300 pages, the book is a fairly quick read and would probably make a good choice for book discussion groups.