Tandem by Andy Mozina

 

Mike Kovacs didn't mean to get drunk.  It had been a rough slog lately; a divorce that left his son barely speaking to him and tensions at work.  But today had been a great day.  He had gotten good news at work that meant his career was ready for a boost and he and his friends wanted to celebrate.  When he left the bar, he noticed that he was not really at his best for driving but his home was near so he decided to drive home.  On the way, he thought about the state park and how he might meet someone at a lakeside bonfire so decided to go there.  That was his big mistake.

As he enters the park, out of the fog come two people on a tandem bike.  Mike hits them and when he gets out of his car, he realizes that they both are dead.  Two young people, a young guy and a girl are gone forever.  Shocked but defensive, Mike clears up the scene and drives his damaged car home.  In the weeks that followed, he continues to hide his crime, buying a second car like his damaged one and eventually buying parts to fix the car himself.  He discovers that the young girl was a neighborhood girl, just home after her first year of college.  His family knows hers and his son and the girl had shared rides and outings.  Mike is wracked with guilt but doesn't want to confess and lose his comfortable life.  He convinces himself that the best outcome would be to live his life henceforth helping others and being the best person he can.  But life doesn't work that way.  He becomes entangled in a relationship that defies logic.

Andy Mozina has written a book that explores morality.  We all think we know what we would do in various situations but when they occur we are often surprised at what we actually do.  Can one ever put right a wrong so deep?  Is confession always the best route?  Readers will put themselves in Mike's shoes and may find him understandable or despicable but he will provide a basis for much contemplation.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.