The Accident is the first novel by Australian author, Kate Hendrick. This talented young writer uses three young voices, Sarah, Will and Eliat, to narrate the events leading up to (Before), and following, the accident (After), and to reveal the impact that it has on many lives (Later). Sarah is trying to regain a normal life after an accident that devastates her family; Eliat is a teenaged mum who seems to be on a collision course with disaster; and Will is unsure how to react to changes at home. A tenuous thread connects these three lives. Hendricks characters, situations and interactions will resonate with young adult readers, so these voices will certainly appeal to them, but the characters have more than enough depth to hold the interest of older readers as well. The novel has intrigue as the reader waits to discover the who, why and how of the accident, as well as how the characters are connected, and the ending is impossible to anticipate. Hendrick touches on a myriad of subjects: guilt and blame, responsibility, communication, identity crisis and the direction of ones life. Although Alan has some great lines (We can't control the things that happen to us; we can only control how we respond to them.), and Sarah also displays exceptional wisdom (Every one of us who and what we are is the product of other peoples choices as well as our own), Hendrick gives the best lines to Will, including gems like: To venture out causes anxiety, but not to venture is to lose ones self and Why would you want glory if the cost is everything else?. This is an exceptional debut.