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After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away

joyce carol oates

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In the raw was how the world felt now. My feelings were raw, my thoughts were raw and hurtful like knife blades. . . . In the blue had been my place to hide, now In the raw there was nowhere to hide.

Jenna Abbott separates her life into two categories: before the wreck and after the wreck, Before the wreck, she was leading a normal life with her mom in suburban New York. After the wreck, Jenna is alone, trying desperately to forget what happened that day on the bridge. She's determined not to let anyone get close to her -- she never wants to feel so broken and fragile again.

Then Jenna meets Crow. He is a powerfully seductive enigma, and Jenna is instantly drawn to him. Crow is able to break down the wall that Jenna has built around her emotions, and she surprises herself by telling him things she hasn't told anyone else. Can Jenna bring herself to face the memories she's tried so hard to erase?

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1,2006
Literary awards
deutscher jugendliteraturpreis, lincoln award, 
Places
new york (state), 

This edition

Format
304 pages, Hardcover
Published
August 22, 2006 by HarperTeen
ISBN
9780060735258
ASIN
0060735252
Language
English

More editions

About the author

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joyce carol oates

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Joyce Carol Oates is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Her novels Black Water (1992), What I Lived For (1994), and Blonde (2000), and her short story collections The Wheel of Love (1970) and Lovely, Dark, Deep: Stories (2014) were each finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. She has won many awards for her writing, including the National Book Award, for her novel Them (1969), two O. Henry Awards, the National Humanities Medal, and the Jerusalem Prize (2019).
Oates taught at Princeton University from 1978 to 2014, and is the Roger S. Berlind '52 Professor Emerita in the Humanities with the Program in Creative Writing. From 2016 to 2020, she was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught short fiction in the spring semesters. She now teaches at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
Oates was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2016.
Pseudonyms: Rosamond Smith and Lauren Kelly.

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Community Reviews

Rating(4 / 5.0, 99 votes)
5 stars
31(31%)
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35(35%)
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33(33%)
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99 reviews All reviews
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Enmora
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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What a truly wonderful book it is!

I managed to read it quite rapidly as I found the story to be extremely engaging. Moreover, JCO's writing style is so easy to digest, making it a pleasure to read.

The story vividly reminded me of a short story that I penned in the 80's, which was about an autistic child. I really appreciate the way in which she selected an unlikely mentor to assist the troubled youth in the book. This aspect of the story was not only interesting but also had a profound impact on me.

In fact, it even provided me with some valuable insights and inspiration in certain aspects of my volunteering work at the Listening Post. It is amazing how a book can have such a significant influence on our lives and experiences.
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Gunster
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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This was an extremely dramatic book.

Jenna unfortunately gets involved in a car crash that tragically takes the life of her mother. After that, she has to move in with her aunt. At school, she then gets connected with a group of kids who don't make good decisions.

I constantly found myself hoping and wanting her to turn her life around. However, it wasn't until Crow appears and saves her that she finally starts to make a change.

She has only a few encounters with Crow, yet she decides that she is in love with him. Almost every scene, her thoughts would drift to him.

It reached a point where it became just plain annoying. Moreover, the ending came very abruptly.

Overall, I didn't enjoy this book very much.

I felt that the story had potential, but the way the characters developed and the sudden ending left me feeling dissatisfied.

Maybe with some improvements in the pacing and character arcs, this could have been a more engaging read.

As it stands, it was a bit of a disappointment.
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Govihiv515
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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A trembling storyteller, but a brave girl, learns...

This is a tremendous novel that offers a coming-of-age story like no other. As the girl, who is both a trembling storyteller and a brave soul, tells her story, I am filled with awe at the fear she has walked through. She bravely walks to the other side of the bridge, which metaphorically represents another time in her life. It was a moment when she was the only survivor, as her mother veered to the other side of the bridge and crashed. She believes she is alone in the world, lost and adrift. But then, something remarkable happens. She opens her eyes and 'sees'. This moment of seeing is not just a physical act but a spiritual awakening. It is as if a new world unfolds before her, filled with possibilities and hope. She realizes that she is not alone after all, and that there is a way forward. This novel is a powerful exploration of grief, courage, and self-discovery, and it will leave readers deeply moved and inspired.
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ihavetomakeanacc
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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What is it about this author that clearly seems to have a penchant for dragging her stories into the darkest of abysses?

Jenna, a 15-year-old, is extremely close to her mother. Tragically, on a sunny day while driving over the Tapanzee bridge, Jenna spots an object. She commands her mother to stop and perhaps even grabs the wheel, causing the car to swerve into the oncoming lane and directly into a truck.

Sadly, neither the truck driver nor Jenna's mother survives. Severely injured, the story commences with Jenna in the ICU, attempting to make sense of what exactly transpired and wondering if she is responsible for the deaths of two people.

Her father is a first-class jerk who abandoned the family years ago, running off with a younger woman and clearly never in the running for father of the year. He is depicted as someone who could look at his daughter's broken body and contemplate physically abusing her? After months of agony, Jenna leaves the hospital to live with a beloved aunt and her caring husband.

A new school, new mother and father figures, two young cousins, a new town, the loss of a beloved mother which Jenna blames herself for and is extremely withdrawn, and yet no one gets therapy for this kid until she associates with the wrong crowd and has a serious drug overdose?

Oates portrays the surrogate family as wonderful, caring, perhaps overly accepting. But then why depict them as slow to seek help for her? I initially liked the beginning of the book and Jenna's admirable efforts to rise above the wreckage of her body and start anew.

However, midway through to the end, I came to dislike Jenna and Oates' writing.

Everything seemed artificial and exaggerated. It is evident that Oates struggled with the YA genre.

This one gets no stars.
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chivopro12
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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Fifteen-year-old Jenna's life took a tragic turn when the car she was in careened and hit the guard rail of the Tappan Zee Bridge. The accident was devastating, leaving her mother and another driver dead. Jenna was injured and found herself in a drug-induced haze, lost in a state of profound sadness and guilt.

Feeling that she was somehow responsible for the accident, Jenna wanted to remain in that blue, numbing state. She went to live with her aunt in New Hampshire, but she was unable to accept the help that was offered to her. Instead, she hooked up with a senior girl who had access to drugs and alcohol, using these substances as a way to try and stay in her self-imposed state of numbness.

However, it wasn't until Jenna made a huge mistake and formed an unlikely friendship with Crow, a French Canadian biker, that she began to face her fears and start to connect with those around her. This new friendship would prove to be the catalyst for Jenna's journey towards healing and recovery.
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Peachie5000
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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Whenever I pick up a work by Joyce Carol Oates, a strange feeling comes over me. I find myself hating myself a little bit. Her writing is overly dramatic, almost to the point of being exaggerated. It seems as if she is trying just a little too hard to be artsy and sophisticated. The language she uses can be flowery and convoluted, making it sometimes difficult to fully grasp the essence of her stories.


However, despite all these initial misgivings, something strange happens when I reach the end of her works. I can't stop thinking about them. The stories linger in my mind, haunting me long after I have put the book down. There is a certain quality to her writing that is both disturbing and captivating. It makes me question my own perceptions and beliefs, and forces me to look at the world from a different perspective.


Maybe that's the power of great literature. It doesn't have to be perfect or easy to understand. Sometimes, it's the very flaws and imperfections that make it so memorable and thought-provoking. And in the case of Joyce Carol Oates, her overly dramatic and artsy writing style may be exactly what makes her work so unique and unforgettable.

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meee_51
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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After her mother tragically passes away in the very same car crash that severely injures Jenna, she finds herself in an extremely difficult situation, struggling hard to piece her life back together.

It's a rather typical narrative of a dead mother and the process of recovering from an injury. Fans who have a penchant for these two genres are likely to enjoy it. However, for those who are not particularly inclined towards such stories, there isn't an abundance of elements here that would compel them to give it a try.

The storyline follows a somewhat predictable path, with Jenna facing numerous challenges and setbacks as she attempts to heal both physically and emotionally. While there may be some moments of poignancy and growth, overall, it doesn't offer anything truly groundbreaking or unique to capture the attention of a wider audience.

Nevertheless, for those who are specifically seeking a story that delves into the themes of loss and recovery, it may provide a certain level of comfort and catharsis.
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Florten
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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I read the entire book during the plane ride from Tulsa to Sacramento, which took about 3 hours or so.

It was a very easy read, yet it was good. Perhaps it was a bit too young adult for me, even though I have a love for YA literature. Nevertheless, I still found enjoyment in it.

I liked the concept of delving into the mind of a teenage girl who is dealing with a horrible tragedy. The story was heartfelt and filled with sentiment, but without being cheesy. Jenna, the protagonist, is a very likable character, and one can't help but grieve along with her.

Oates doesn't neatly wrap up everything. After all, grief is never truly over. And Jenna's journey to finding peace and forgiving herself is far from easy. However, the story is not without hope.

Overall, I would rate this book 3.75 stars. It was an engaging read that explored the complex emotions of a teenage girl in the face of tragedy.
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