Carry the One begins in the hours following Carmen's
wedding reception, when a car filled with stoned, drunk, and sleepy
guests accidently hits and kills a girl on a dark, country road. For the
next twenty-five years, those involved, including Carmen and her
brother and sister, connect and disconnect and reconnect with each other
and their victim. As one character says, "When you add us up, you
always have to carry the one."
Through friendships and love
affairs; marriage and divorce; parenthood, holidays, and the modest
tragedies and joys of ordinary days, Carry the One shows how one
life affects another and how those who thrive and those who
self-destruct are closer to each other than we'd expect. Deceptively
short and simple in its premise, this novel derives its power and appeal
from the author's beautifully precise use of language; her sympathy for
her very recognizable, flawed characters; and her persuasive belief in
the transforming forces of time and love.