In an Instant

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Every eye immediately snaps to Clopeh Sekka, who is starting to smile and clap his hands together like a lunatic. Seeing the man who had once beaten both of them to a pulp brings shudders racing down their spines. I said in one of my updates, “Is it wrong to have murderous thoughts toward a book character?” There is one character’s choices that had me imagining a variety of the most painful and unpleasant ways they could not so dearly depart us. This character brought out straight-up seething contempt. I won’t go into details, but I think unless you’re a member of the undead with no blood coursing through your veins or you are actually missing a beating heart, you will likely feel some measure of rage as well. It may be especially triggering or painful if you have a child with disabilities, as I do. The prose is eloquent and intense. The characters, including all the supporting characters, are complex, conflicted, and wounded. And the unique plot, narrated from beyond the grave by sixteen-year-old Finn is a compelling, sobering, emotional tale of life, love, loss, family, friendship, grief, guilt, acceptance, self-preservation, and redemption. In the end, this is one of the few books where the ending nears and I stall for time. I’m not ready to say goodbye, nor for the book to end.

In an Instant - Chapter 1 - Archive of Our Own In an Instant - Chapter 1 - Archive of Our Own

If we go by this book, the answer is likely not as selfless and noble as we’d like to think we’d be. When survival is at stake, some people can be downright ugly and without conscience, and others might act in more subtle ways that still reveal motivations that are less than pure. These people are all dressed for war. He supposes there is a war on their doorstep now. He had thought they were fighting the war against the Indomitable Alliance, but Clopeh's appearance suggests differently. Is this seriously peeking into what the hell that Cale has been doing since he arrives in the Roan Kingdom? Kim Rok Soo closes his eyes, rooting through his mental library. [Record] is still working, yet there is a void where [Instant] must have been. A place that seals offensive abilities? [Instant] isn't strictly offensive though? Freezing cold temperatures will prevent them from surviving the night, if they survive their injuries...if they survive at all.It was an interesting concept to have the main character tell the story from her afterlife however, this fly-on-the-wall perspective didn’t flow well for me and felt choppy as she jumped from watching each character. It kept me at a distance and prevented me from feeling fully immersed within the storyline. I felt that the main character was telling me everything that happened instead of having me experiencing it alongside the characters themselves. Add me to the list of people who sat down and read this book in one day. Whew! I won’t tell you anything else about the book except that it is a moving, thought provoking look at what loss does to an individual and to a family. The choices and sacrifices people make to survive. The tears shed and the grief that comes after tragedy. For me this was a tearjerker. I didn't want to put this book down as I wanted to know what would happen next. How these people and families would cope. This is also a character study on human nature - what will people do to survive. Will they go against their nature or will their true nature be shown? When ordinary people are put in extraordinary situations, what choices will they make? From now on our narrator and the story’s protagonist Finn watches over her family, her dear friend as a trapped soul as they are also trapped in the car. Yes, Finn dies after the crush. And so many decisions have been made at that night because everyone’s priorities were at different places. A horrendous accident, Finn is killed instantly and from there the real story begins as each character makes their choices. Both action and inaction are a choice and so we see who each person is and what they will become.

Book Review: In An Instant by Suzanne Redfearn

this book set me on edge when it opened with a car accident. no one was injured, but it triggered memories of when my dad and i were in a car accident, and i just didn’t get off to a good start. then the story progressed and got worse and worse—more and more upsetting. Choi Han can make that kind of face? Why is Choi Han calling him hyung? Is it a whole other world after all? Heartrending yet ultimately redemptive, In an Instant is a story about the power of love, the meaning of family, and carrying on…even when it seems impossible.Putting aside Choi Han's and Alberu's weird reaction to him, it seems that side A really is from a changed world. We are not betting Cale-nim's well-being on some sketchy "tale"." Choi Han grounds out. He looks like he dearly wishes to take the scabbard in his hand and beat Clopeh's head in with it.

In An Instant by Suzanne Redfearn | Goodreads In An Instant by Suzanne Redfearn | Goodreads

The aftermath offers a truly unique perspective, as Finn is able to float between scenarios and people. Not only can she see how they are all dealing with trying to move on, but she also witnesses the consequences of their decisions in a horrendous situation.But, of course, since life is a bitch, he can't even get up from this, admittedly, very comfortable sofa. Before he can ponder on the possibility of falling asleep right here, though, two doors materialize on two sides of the room, heralding the coming of unknown things. This story is about the choices each survivor will make, that night...out of guilt, fear, cowardice, or strength and how these choices affect their lives after the accident. Suzanne Redfearn’s In an Instant is part ghost story, part love letter to a family in crisis after a devastating accident in the midst of a brutal snowstorm. This cleverly crafted novel chronicles a heartbreaking journey from grief and despair to one of acceptance, forgiveness, and ultimately hope. Through Redfearn’s luminous prose, In an Instant succeeds in building an unforgettable portrait of human frailty and strength in the face of unfathomable loss." - Heather Gudenkauf