Walking After Midnight: One Woman's Journey Through Murder, Justice and Forgiveness

In this cautionary tale about the dangers of teenage substance abuse, Hutchison tells how she became reconciled with the drunken teenage boy who killed her husband. On New Year's Eve 1997, in Squamish, British Columbia, Hutchison's husband, Bob, went with two male friends to check on an unsupervised teenagers' party nearby. When Bob attempted to get the crowd of intoxicated, drug-using adolescents to leave the house, he was punched and then kicked to death. A few years later, Ryan Aldridge admitted his guilt and offered letters of apology to the author and her children; he was sentenced to five years for manslaughter. The author takes readers through the aftermath of her husband's death, describing their love for each other despite the usual marital conflicts. She is forthright in recounting how she fell in love with her second husband, marrying him eight months after Bob's death. The most valuable part of this compelling memoir is Hutchison's healing emotional journey, which resulted in reconciliation with Ryan. While in prison (he is currently out on parole), Ryan began to participate with Hutchison in presentations about the dangers of teenage substance abuse. Hutchison has become an activist for restorative justice, which facilitates victim-offender reconciliation. (Oct.)