The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors

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The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors

by Michele Young-Stone (Goodreads Author)

3.48 of 5 stars 3.48 · rating details · 780 ratings · 206 reviews

When lightning strikes, lives are changed.

BECCA

On a sunny day in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, eight-year-old Becca Burke was struck by lightning. No one believed her—not her philandering father or her drunk, love-sick mother—not even when her watch kept losing time and a spooky halo of light appeared overhead in photographs. Becca was struck again when she was sixteen. She...more

Hardcover, 384 pages

Published April 13th 2010 by Crown

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Apr 19, 2012 Jen McConnell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Simple put, this was quite wonderful!

I never once felt like I was reading about 'characters.' These were definitely real people. And the way Ms. Young-Stone interweaves the voices is quite amazing. Sometimes the narrator is different from paragraph to paragraph and yet I was never confused or lost - on the contrary I felt like I was right there inside each person's mind. She does the transitions so seamlessly, I am in awe, and as a writer, envious.

I literally didn't want to put the book down at...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Josiah M rated it 4 of 5 stars

Overall, The Handbook for Lightening strike survivors was a great book. It follows the lives of Becca and Buckley, a somewhat alliterative pairing of names. Buckley throughout the story, adds information and updates into his handbook, which gives the book its name. Filled with great detail, this book has a sort of poetic way of telling the audience what is happening. Although it wasn't directly added into the story, there were snippets of Buckley's "Handbook for Lightening Strike Survivors" adde...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Patty rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, women-writers, lightning, family, death, death-and-dying, fiction, contemporary-fiction, new-york-city, arkansas, north-carolina, texas, dysfunctional-family, talk-tote

I have been fascinated by the title of this book for quite awhile. Along with my interest in the title, the fact the author has been struck by lightning herself, helped push this book on to my to-read list.

Becca and Buckley have both had their lives affected by lightning strikes. They seem to have a lot in common, enough that at times I had to stop and figure out whose life I was reading about. Young-Stone tells her tale by creating parallel stories and by playing a bit with time. Occasionally,...more

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Apr 08, 2012 A B rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: debut

THE RUNDOWN

The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors is a novel about people. Duh, you say, all novels are about people. But really, I say, this novel is about people. It's about a little girl who gets struck by lightning, a little boy who wishes he got struck by lightning, an alcoholic with a cheating husband, a husband with an alcoholic for a wife... the list goes on. Don't let the title fool you, it's not about lightning.

It's been a while since I've gotten halfway through a book and found m...more THE RUNDOWN

The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors is a novel about people. Duh, you say, all novels are about people. But really, I say, this novel is about people. It's about a little girl who gets struck by lightning, a little boy who wishes he got struck by lightning, an alcoholic with a cheating husband, a husband with an alcoholic for a wife... the list goes on. Don't let the title fool you, it's not about lightning.

It's been a while since I've gotten halfway through a book and found myself unable to put it down until I finished it four hours later, having forgotten all previous obligations. But that's what I did when I read The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors by Michele Young-Stone.

Why?

I honestly don't know. When I started reading it, I was thrown off by seemingly needless tense changes, which flipped the narration from past to present between chapters. I found myself frustrated by the intermittent use of first names, last names and nicknames, which forced my feeble mind to remember three times as many characters as I needed to. I was surprised when she started speaking to me in the second person, and sometimes confused by her constant point-of-view changes.

And yet, I quickly got used to her unusual style and read on, enthralled by the clash of beautiful and grotesque that was so elegantly laid out before me. Michele Young-Stone is a poet.

And while a poet must obviously have a handle on words, in my opinion that's not what's most important. A good poet is an observer, someone who quietly takes in their surroundings, who empathizes with their enemies, who sees the whole picture. If the poet doesn't see the whole picture, neither will I when I read their work.

When I finished reading The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors, I might as well have been at a gallery opening. I didn't just see one picture, I saw many. I saw the young and the old with their faults and their strengths, laid out before me and framed with dovetail joints.

I don't know what you'll get out of The Handbook for Lightning Survivors, but I found forgiveness. For myself and others.

THE RECOMMENDATION

If you're looking for an action-packed page turner, look elsewhere. But if you're looking for a book that spins a tale so vivid that you can't put it down, look no further. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen, or The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

For more reviews, visit www.undergroundbookreviews.com (less)

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Mar 06, 2012 Michele rated it 2 of 5 stars

I got this book at the beach a while ago and had been reading it as my nightstand book for a few months. It's a disjointed story about two survivors of separate lightning strikes intermingled with excerpts from the fictional Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors (which one of the characters wrote). This is an interesting story of how our lives overlap with other peoples in sometimes surprising ways, but above all I think it's a story about coming to terms with our past, whatever our past may b...more

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Jul 14, 2011 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I was a little kid at our cabin out on the wide open plains of SD, I saw lightning split a tree in half from 50 feet away. The force of the white light blew me off of my feet. It's been a difficult event to process. Reading this book makes me realize that I did in deed have something very profound happen to me.
In this book, when lightning strikes, it can instantly kill or alter its victims. Each chapter heads off with a handbook style account given by survivors or facts to help survive a st...more

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Oct 28, 2010 Chibineko rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have to admit, I don't normally read books in this vein. Normally I like books with an angsty female protagonist set in magical alternate earths, but once in a while I'll have friends & coworkers suggesting books to me. This was one such book & I have to admit, I was surprised at how quickly I got into it.

The tale follows two different people from slightly different times. Becca was struck by lightning as a child & ever since that fateful day she's been desperately trying to recapt...more I have to admit, I don't normally read books in this vein. Normally I like books with an angsty female protagonist set in magical alternate earths, but once in a while I'll have friends & coworkers suggesting books to me. This was one such book & I have to admit, I was surprised at how quickly I got into it.

The tale follows two different people from slightly different times. Becca was struck by lightning as a child & ever since that fateful day she's been desperately trying to recapture that feeling on canvas. Meanwhile Buckley's had his own history with lightning, an event that's haunted him throughout his entire life. The pair go through their lives in the hopes of finding some sort of closure to their own experiences with lightning, all the while attempting to recapture that moment.

If I'm a little vague with the plot description, that's because I really want you to read this book for yourself. I can't give away any more of the plot without spoiling it for you. Needless to say, this is an amazing first book. It's got a few rough edges, but I didn't really find anything that detracted from the plot as a whole. Plus if this is what the author is writing for her first book, I can't wait to see what her future books will be like. I guess what I liked most about this book was that Young-Stone *didn't* go for the cliches that tend to abound in books like this- she tried her hardest to make her characters believable. I'll admit, I liked the character of Buckley more than Becca, but I think that's just down to personal preference. The only thing I'd really say was a bit of a flaw was that the ending seemed a little too neatly wrapped up for everyone at the end & I kind of wished that one or two things had been left up to the reader's imagination. (But then again, I like stuff like that, so it is more personal preference.)

The bottom line is that this really was a nice read & I managed to finish it almost in one sitting. If you are looking for something to take with you to the beach, this is one of the books you should pack. Just make sure that the forecast doesn't call for lightning! (less)

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Jul 23, 2010 Marsia rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Almost anyone

Recommended to Marsia by: nobody; new at the library

Shelves: family-sagas

Michele Young-Stone's delightful first novel, THE HANDBOOK FOR LIGHTNING STRIKE SURVIVORS, features a sizable cast of believable characters as they progress through several decades to 1995 while inhabiting a variety of locations: Mont Blanc, Arkansas; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Galveston, Texas; and New York, New York. I found most of these characters to be good company most of the time, which is more than I can say for most people.

Each brief chapter is followed by a page from the HANDBOOK FOR...more

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Jun 10, 2010 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-fiction

Story Overview

Becca Burke is first struck by lightning at the age of 8. Unfortunately, she is alone when it happens, and, because she is relatively unharmed, her parents doubt whether it actually happened. Yet though she is physically unharmed, the lightning strike changes Becca in mysterious ways--watches break or run backwards when she wears them, halos of light appear around her in photographs. Becca does her best to continue on, yet her family life becomes increasingly difficult as her fathe...more Story Overview

Becca Burke is first struck by lightning at the age of 8. Unfortunately, she is alone when it happens, and, because she is relatively unharmed, her parents doubt whether it actually happened. Yet though she is physically unharmed, the lightning strike changes Becca in mysterious ways--watches break or run backwards when she wears them, halos of light appear around her in photographs. Becca does her best to continue on, yet her family life becomes increasingly difficult as her father's affairs and her mother's drinking rip the family apart. As she grows older (and experiences a second lightning strike), the loss of her family, estrangement from her best friend, and her inability to be open to love lead Becca to the tortured life of an artist in New York City, complete with doomed love affairs and too much drinking. When a series of paintings inspired by lightning strikes ignites her painting career, it also leads her to another lost soul tortured by lightning ... Buckley R. Pitank.

Buckley's life is an endless loop of being bullied and teased. His home life is hardly a respite. His beloved mother is the only support he has, yet they are trapped living with his bitter and nasty grandmother. When Buckley inadvertently brings an evangelical preacher into their lives (who is really just looking for good home cooking and a place to stay), Buckley's life seems to settle into an endless cycle of despair and gloom. But his mother--in a heroic act of will and rebellion--realizes they must escape if they are ever going to have a chance of happiness. Stealing away in the middle of the night, Buckley and his mother settle in Galveston, Texas, where they build a new life that seems filled with the possibility of happiness and love. Then tragedy strikes, and everything Buckley holds dear is ripped away. Returning to his grandmother's home as penance for his survival, Buckley writes The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors (excerpts of which are scattered throughout the book). Eventually, his journey brings him to New York City, where a chance encounter with Becca's paintings draw him into her orbit.

As their lives become more closely intertwined, lightning (inevitably) strikes once again ... and leads to unexpected consequences.

My Thoughts

I know you're probably thinking "Well just go tell us the entire story, why don't you?" Believe me when I tell you that knowing the outlines of the story doesn't give you even a hint of the depth of Young-Stone's writing. She effortlessly moves from character to character--allowing the reader to inhabit their interior lives for a time. Aside from following Becca and Buckley's stories, we also venture into the mind of other characters as well, including Becca's depressed and drunken mother, Becca's philandering father, a young drug addict, and Buckley's newly empowered mother. Young-Stone manages to create an almost dream-like reading experience. This is the type of book where you can know what is going to happen, but getting there is what makes the journey so worthwhile.

This is Young-Stone's debut novel, and I was very impressed with the sophistication of her writing. Instead of telling you about a character, you get to inhabit their world for a while. I think this is difficult to pull off by even the most seasoned writers, yet Young-Stone manages it in her very first "at bat." If you are the type of reader who seeks out new authors, this is one author who should make your list. I think she has a true gift, and I'm excited to see what she does in the future.

I was curious about why lightning featured so prominently in the book, so I wasn't surprised to learn that Young-Stone herself was a lightning strike survivor. I imagine this type of experience would affect you deeply, and learning this tidbit about the author gave the book even more of an air of authenticity. Lightning strikes was an interesting way to connect the stories of Becca and Buckley, and the inclusion of the excerpts from Buckley's book provide the reader with a wealth of information about lighting strikes and those who have survived them.

Yet Young-Stone's writing is so powerful that she could have dispensed with the lightning motif and the book would have been just as good because ultimately, this is a book about people ... people who are damaged, lost, and trying to find love and happiness. Young-Stone does a brilliant job of creating realistic and touching journeys for all the characters--both major and minor--and I loved that she provided one of my favorite ending devices (a "where are they now" wrap-up ... you just don't get this enough, I think) that answered any lingering questions I had about the fate of the various characters I met throughout the book.

The Bottom Line

A wonderful debut from a writer who has true talent. Reading this book is like entering a dream-like state where you journey into the interior worlds of both the major and minor characters. Definitely recommended.(less)

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May 12, 2010 Diane rated it 5 of 5 stars

Writers are told to 'write what they know' so it's no surprise to discover that Michele Young-Stone is a lightning strike survivor. She titled her first published novel The Handbook for Lightning Survivors, and it's an emotional powerhouse of a book.

Using the conceit of placing a 'book within a book', one of the main characters, Buckley, a young man, has written a non-fiction book titled The Handbook for Lightning Survivors. Parts of his book are sprinkled within the novel, which tells the story...more

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May 07, 2010 Stacy [The Novel Life] rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a different little book! The story is written from the perspective of Becca, an 8 year old girl when we meet her visiting the Atlantic Ocean with her father & mother and Buckley, also a young boy of 11 living in Arkansas with his mother, step-father and grandmother. The book begins with Becca being struck by lightning; however her parents don't believe her

"Dad, I got struck by lightning." He sat on the sofa. "If you got struck by lightning, you'd be dead." He didn't look up.

Throughout...more What a different little book! The story is written from the perspective of Becca, an 8 year old girl when we meet her visiting the Atlantic Ocean with her father & mother and Buckley, also a young boy of 11 living in Arkansas with his mother, step-father and grandmother. The book begins with Becca being struck by lightning; however her parents don't believe her

"Dad, I got struck by lightning." He sat on the sofa. "If you got struck by lightning, you'd be dead." He didn't look up.

Throughout the book, Becca's parents let her down in so many ways ~ I had heard that people who survive lightning strikes often get struck again and again and again which happened to Becca. It was not until her mother had sobered up when she was a teenager that she finally began believing Becca's lightning stories.

Buckley and his mother were living in Arkansas with her mother, Winter, and the man she married thinking he would be a good step-father for Buckley. Her own mother resented her because of her father...

Winter was always doing laundry, and she was always nagging Joe: "You need to get a job. You need to get off your behind and put a decent meal on the table. You need to stop babying that girl. You need to teach her to respect her elders."

Once Abigail (Buckley's mother) figured out that the Reverend (her husband) was being abusive towards Buckley they escaped while Winter and the Reverend were gone. They just got in the car in drove towards the ocean.

Buckley and Becca had one thing in common ~ they both had been traumatized by lightning. Once Buckley grew up he wrote a book about surviving lightning strikes that made it into Becca's hands. What was so wonderfully unique about this book is that all the loose ends were tied up by the end.

Have you ever played that game "6 degrees of seperation?" Where within 6 steps you can find a link between you and a stranger? The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors not only showed a picture of that, but showed it quite well! It also told the story of how parents let their children down in a myriad of ways, but how children can rise above their parents failures. And forgiveness ~ what a beautiful story of forgiveness throughout the book.

I loved this book. I like the fresh voice of Michele Young-Stone. I love the fact that every story line, even the smallest one was tied up with a ribbon and a bow by the end of the book. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something just a bit different to read, something new, something tasty! You will not be disappointed!(less)

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Mar 27, 2010 Laura Stone Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars

“If you are a lightning strike survivor, understand that you are not alone.” When eight-year-old Becca Burke is struck by lightning in her driveway on a sunny day, that’s exactly how she feels. Her mother and father don’t even believe her, and only her grandmother sees that the hands on her watch are moving backward. It’s many years later, with another strike under her belt, when Becca reads that sentence from Buckley R. Pitank’s Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors, and feels understood. Ho...more

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Feb 04, 2011 Molly rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-books, crappybooks

This book was not good. As seems to be the trend lately, I picked this up and read it because the title was good- intriguing and poetic. But... bad characters, bad characterization... ugh, bad writing. Example: Becca is in a hospital and hears a nurse talking about a girl named Clementine. Then Buckley has a friend named Clementine... yet the author feels the need to explicitly state that it is the same character. Come on- the writing should be good enough that the reader can tell. And you shoul...more

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Apr 11, 2010 Lydia Presley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, arc, fiction, family

Okay, so I loved this book. It was not what I expected, at all, but I still loved it.

The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors is the story of two very different but but similar people (confusing, no?). Becca, a young girl who is struck by lightning and Buckley, a young boy who experiences the horrifying reality of lightning strikes as well.

Both families these children grow up in are disjointed and horrible. I was depressed throughout the book because no one could ever seem to catch a break....more

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Aug 03, 2010 Meghan (From My Nightstand) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-debut-author-challenge

General: Let me begin by saying, this book turned out to be not at all what I expected, but I still loved it. I was amazed to learn that Michele Young-Stone herself, the author, was struck by lightning. It's an interesting novel for a long list of reasons, but this makes it all the more interesting.

No summary can even come close to capturing the great depth of this novel. The book has so many layers of pain and joy and energy and emotion that no piece of writing can even begin to describe it; I...more General: Let me begin by saying, this book turned out to be not at all what I expected, but I still loved it. I was amazed to learn that Michele Young-Stone herself, the author, was struck by lightning. It's an interesting novel for a long list of reasons, but this makes it all the more interesting.

No summary can even come close to capturing the great depth of this novel. The book has so many layers of pain and joy and energy and emotion that no piece of writing can even begin to describe it; I guess you just have to read it for yourself. There is also such an enormous cast of characters and an extensive plot, it too is impossible to summarize in a mere few sentences.

I immediately fell in love with Michele Young-Stone's style of writing. The plot was extraordinarily well-thought-out, and the characters, every single one of them, were thoroughly developed and honest. As you read her book, Young-Stone not only tells you the story, she introduces you into a whole new world. I felt like I just floated right through this book as I read, just drifting into the storyline peacefully and dreamily. Once I started, I felt no need to stop. There was no repetition, no "being bored with it". It's a refreshing experience to read a debut author who has true talent; and it's an even more refreshing experience to read an author like Michele Young-Stone who seems to be too good for the word "talented".

Characters: The book includes a crazy amount of characters, but it mostly revolves around two young people, Becca and Buckley. In the beginning of the story, the two don't know each other, but both have had their lives turned around by the trauma of the natural phenomenon of a lightning strike. In addition to this trauma, they each have their own traumas at home. Becca has a sad, alcoholic mother and a cheating father. Buckley lives with his loving but broken mother. It's truly an experience to read about these characters and to learn about them and get to know them. There's so much pain in the novel and it becomes easy to sympathize with and feel sorry for the characters. Becca feels as though she's forced to "walk on eggshells" in her own home, and Buckley is afraid to be happy because he fears bad things will happen if he does because of the pain he's experienced in his early life.

Plot: I'll be truthful. After all this gushing about the novel, I do have a few small complaints. The beginning of the book moves very slowly. It takes a LONG TIME for the plot to fully develop. Because of this, many readers might lose interest before the plot even fully develops. There's such an enormous cast of characters, it can get a little confusing; and though very skillfully written, there are so many twists and turns in the plot to remember and think about that, as the reader, you can get to feeling like the book's skipping around. But if you give it time, the book evolves into a deep, enthralling, fascinating, FABULOUS book.

Scores

Plot: 17/20
Characters: 19/20
Ending: 18/20
Cover: 15/20
Style: 20/20
Overall: 89/100

Grade: B+(less)

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Jun 18, 2010 Sandi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, 2010

I really don't know what to say about this book. My main comment would have to be that the publisher's blurb is completely useless. You keep waiting for the two main characters to meet and connect, but they don't until the book is nearly over and then it's anti-climatic. I felt a lot of sympathy for both Becca and Buckley and was cheering them on, but it came to nothing. The book totally fizzled by the end and I think the author kind of cheated with the "where they are now" epilogue for all the...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: great-life-lessons, nice-little-book, will-look-for-more-like-this

For some reason I loved this quirky book. The writing was beautiful and interesting. I didn't fully read the description so I didn't know what to expect. The premise is facsinating and the more I read it the more I couldn't put it down.

The emotions of Becca and Buckley totally resonated with me. Perhaps because I am the same age and was going through similar things at her age: cheating father, divorce, etc. (no lightning strikes!)

I agree with the reviews that at times I was confused about the t...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Betsy Ashton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Michele Young-Stone's debut novel reads like that of a mature novelist with multiple successful novels before this one. She takes two children who are fascinated by lightning (one was struck by it; one wasn't) and follows them through their coming of age in a time of broken and dysfunctional families, art becoming an escape, moving on and growing up.

Becca, first struck by lightning when she was eight, lives with her drunken mother, her philandering father, and a cast of secondary characters, ea...more

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Mar 04, 2013 Sarah Stokar rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

The first time I saw this book, I was stamping new books into my school library. I would always find covers and titles that would catch my eye and this one was just flashing "READ ME!". From that point on, I was sent on a journey following these two amazing, complicated people through their lives. One of he best parts of this book is that all the characters seem real. They live. They breathe. They cry. They feel joy. They dream. I can actually see these characters to be real people moving throug...more

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Feb 18, 2010 Chelsea rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was very much looking forward to reading this book, as lightning strike survivors is not a common subject to read about. What I got was a lot more.

The story follows two seemingly unrelated kids, Becca Burke and Buckley Pitank, as they navigate broken homes, adolescence, troubled adulthoods, and all sorts of bad decisions along the way. They do not know each other and spend most of the book miles apart. What links them, however, is that Becca is a lightning strike survivor and Buckley has lost...more

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Nov 24, 2010 Janice rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book tells the lives of two children, later adults, whose lives are vastly changed by lightning. Becca lives in Chapel Hill North Carolina, and is first struck by lightning when she is 8 years old, but no one believes her, or pays much attention. Her Dad is a philandering entrepreneur, caught up in his newest romance and his development of a new ingredient for cigarettes, one that vastly increases their addictive power. Her mom is mostly drunk, escaping/coping with her husband's disinterest...more

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Oct 31, 2010 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I definitely enjoyed this book. There are two main characters (Becca and Buckley) and the perspective of the book switches between them every chapter. At first this made the book confusing because I had trouble grasping which characters were part of which story. However, the secondary characters became easier to distinguish after understanding the roles they played in each of the main characters lives. In addition, I thoroughly enjoyed the "real life" accounts and lightning facts at the beginnin...more

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May 03, 2010 Kevin rated it 4 of 5 stars

My initial worry was that this story would turn out to be too dark or morose for my tastes. But instead I found Young-Stone's portrait(s) of characters buffeted by storms literal and metaphorical captivating. She skilfully captures both the time periods and ages involved as well as the variety of ways humans can find tragedy - both of their own making and that out of their control.

Weaving the life stories of Beca Burke and Buckley R. Pitank together with excerpts from Buckley's self-published bo...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Marci rated it 4 of 5 stars

Let me preface this by saying there are a few scenes in here that I think make the book rated R. That being said the writing was divine. There were so many times when I thought to myself, "The author just nailed exactly how that feels." The descriptions of emotions, the realistic character responses, the story arc, I found myself responding to all of it and feeling like it was true to life. I would recommend this if you are interested in an author who has a way with words. (Oh, the story is abou...more

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Jun 05, 2010 Meredith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, reviewed, magical-realism, arc

The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors is difficult to sum up in a review. It is (in the best possible way) a narrative as skittish as the lightning that propels it, flitting from character to character in unpredictable fashion. We never know where the narrative will land next. This lightning-esque storytelling might not work in some stories, but it is a more than fitting approach here. The story follows multiple characters, with an emphasis on lightning strike survivor Becca and lightning...more The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors is difficult to sum up in a review. It is (in the best possible way) a narrative as skittish as the lightning that propels it, flitting from character to character in unpredictable fashion. We never know where the narrative will land next. This lightning-esque storytelling might not work in some stories, but it is a more than fitting approach here. The story follows multiple characters, with an emphasis on lightning strike survivor Becca and lightning strike researcher Buckley.

The novel explores the ramifications of lightning for its survivors (Becca and Buckley) and those who surround them. Between strikes, we witness the development and erosion of various relationships, including the crumbling marriage of Mary and Rowan (Becca's parents) and the touching courtship between Abigail (Buckley's mother) and Paddy John. There are those characters who court death with self-destructive behavior and those who continually dodge it. Particularly strong in this story is the character development -- Young-Stone takes her time progressing each character's narrative so that we are not shocked when they behave badly or otherwise fall short of our expectations. No deus ex machina developments, no cheap sleights of pen. Just good storytelling.

One minor issue: I tend not to be a fan of epilogues that provide a quick blurb about each character's fate. This story is so densely populated that it would be difficult to provide closure for each storyline, but the four-page epilogue made the resolution feel somewhat rushed. That said, the story wraps up a lot of loose ends by the end of the last chapter.

The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors is a powerful debut. I read Young-Stone's bio on Goodreads and was amazed to learn that she, too, is a lightning strike survivor. We are all encouraged to write what we know, and she has done a remarkable job of exploring a subject of personal significance while keeping a respectful distance from the narrative (in other words, not allowing her characters to become Mary Sues). This in itself is a remarkable achievement.

(Disclaimer: I received the galleys of this title from The Crown Publishing Group for review.)(less)

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Jul 12, 2010 Allyson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club

A great book and a perfect summer read! Despite it seeming on the long side it was still a quick and easy read. This coming of age story follows two seemingly unrelated kids as they navigate adolescence and a troubled family life. What links them, however, is lightning. Becca was struck by it and Buckley witnesses a loved one get struck by it. I liked how ultimately, the lightening brought them together. Michele Young-Stone wrote each individuals story so well that I did not mind switching back...more

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Sep 30, 2010 Penny rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors by Michele Young-Stone is a pleasure to experience. Becca Burke and Buckley R. Pitank are connected though they spend most of their lives each struggling with loneliness and the isolating, mysterious effects of lightning strikes. Becca is first struck by lightning as an eight-year-old in Chapel Hill, NC, and thirteen-year-old Buckley witnesses his mother’s fatal strike in Galveston, TX. Both already have difficult lives at home, but their experiences w...more

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Aug 07, 2010 A.gasior rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book takes a long hard look at what infidelity does to a family and the effect it has on a kid. It artfully paints a vivid portrait of the kind of father that raises a daughter with "daddy issues." The loss of trust and a sense of disappointment resulting from her father's affairs, and her parents' eventual divorce, haunt Becca well into adulthood. Becca's world, especially her closest relationships, like the one with her mother, father, and Carrie, seem very real and palatable. After readi...more

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Jul 20, 2011 Judith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

More NOTES, as it were:

Lightning streaks in the sky, running parallel until they finally converge, in the distance/future

Two lives.....Becca Burke and Buckley Pitank...two kids trying to grow up with dysfunctional families and the odd lightning strike

Becca: with a love-struck alcoholic mother and a philandering father...still very much a Daddy’s girl...struck by lightning, the first time at age 8. Of course, no one believed her, because she wasn’t dead

Buckley: with an overweight, loving mother....more

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Sep 09, 2010 Thomas Moore rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of two people whose lives have been forever changed by lightning.

Buckley's life has been one hardship after another, but when he witnesses a lightning strike first hand the after effects of that tragic night will change his life forever and prompt him to write The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors.

Becca Burke was struck by lightning when she was 8 years old and no one believed her and then again when she was 14. Now as an art student in New York she is obsessed with capt...more

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About Michele Young-Stone

MICHELE YOUNG-STONE earned her MFA in fiction writing from Virginia Commonwealth University. Once, many years ago, she was struck by lightning in her driveway. She survived. Visit her at www.micheleyoung-stone.com

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“She'd been in love with the man, and love is a scary thing. If not reciprocated, it can turn a person into a monster.” — 24 people liked it

“... and people who have kids, people with husbands and jobs and mortgages, don't much want to hear about other people's paintings.” — 4 people liked it

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The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors

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