Reservation Road by John Burnham Schwartz

I have been trying to pick books off the list I have to read.  My next book was Northwest Corner by John Burnham Schwartz.  I started reading about that book and realized there was a book with some of the same characters that was written first.  It said that you would not have to read the first book to understand the second book.  Reading the first book would give a deeper understanding of the characters.  Thankfully, I made the decision to read Reservation Road first.  It was a great book.
I love the way the author wrote this story.  It was written from the perspective of three characters.  Each chapter would be about one of the three.  Reading the story being told by through the three people was so interesting.
Ethan and Grace are a married couple.  They have two children.  A boy and a girl.  One night on their way home from a family outing they make an unexpected stop not far from home.  While they are stopped, their 10 year old son, Josh, is killed by a hit and run driver.  Ethan and Grace are two of the characters that have their story told.  The third person is, Dwight.  Dwight is the driver that hit Josh. 
It is a painful subject to read about.  The emotions of Ethan and Grace are gut wrenching.  Surprisingly, I did not feel anger for Dwight.  His story is also tragic.  Dwight is one of the people that always seem to make mistakes that have huge impacts on his life.  One mistake after another puts him deeper into a hole he cannot climb out from.
It is not a light hearted subject matter for reading.  It is a very well written story.  It was my 103rd book of the year.  I easily have time to read at least one more!  I would like to read, Northwest Corner.  I think I need to cleanse my pallet with a light story first.  Maybe a sweet romance. 
I give this book a rating of 5.  I would have liked a better ending.  Something that tied some of the loose ends.  Even with the way it ended I still have to go with a 5.  Very good book!!