cover image Face to Face

Face to Face

Audrey Kishline, Sheryl Maloy, . . Meredith, $24.95 (253pp) ISBN 978-0-696-23514-6

The relative of the victims of a drunk-driving accident extends forgiveness to the criminal driver in this stark, improbable memoir of tragedy. In alternating chapters reflecting the points-of-view of the two authors (streamlined by the writer Laura Morton), the woeful tale unfolds. Alcoholic and married with children, Kishline rejected AA, but enrolled in a program called Moderation Management, which allowed drinkers to moderate their drinking and still function without having to abstain completely. However, Kishline still drank in secret, and in 2000 in Takoma, Wash., she plowed into an oncoming car on the highway, killing Danny Davis and his 12-year-old daughter, LaShell. Ex-wife and mother Maloy, who was reconciling with Danny at the time, staggered under the grief of their loss; Kishline was incarcerated with a four-and-a-half–year sentence. At one point, empowered by her Christian faith, Maloy visited Purdy Prison, where she announced her forgiveness. The aftermath was bittersweet: although Maloy was supportive, Kishline continually faltered before she could put her life back together. The stories of these women are wrenching and real, and now they plan to travel and speak publicly together. (Sept.)