Come to the Edge by Christina Haag
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
At 43, I am too young to care about the Kennedys. They are a relic of generations before me, and I have the privilege (?) of seeing them both through more unbiased reporting and the lackluster current generation. JFK Jr included.
But I heard this was a book about young love and I am a sucker for poignant love stories that don’t pan out.
Christina Haag is a fantastic writer. She made me care about these two super-privileged kids and their unconventional relationship. And while she confirmed my suspicion that Jr. was a risk-taking dudebro who wasn’t very bright, I didn’t hate him. I couldn’t. I even warmed up to Jackie, whom I always regarded as a cold, money-focused debutante.
There is an ache that can only be caused by loving someone wildly in your 20s and having that love die for no real reason at all. This book completely captures the ache.
My only beef is that it’s not written chronologically. One paragraph she’s at John’s memorial service, and the next it’s a week before their play. But even though I knew how the story ended, I still held hope that it wouldn’t.
