What is Four Three Two One about?
“This is not a book about a tragedy. This is a book about survivors, and hope, and belief. I wish this book wasn’t necessary, but it is. Read it. And then pass it on.” —Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces
“A whip-smart and deeply felt story about reclaiming life from the rubble of guilt and trauma, Four, Three, Two, One glows brilliantly with heart, humanity, and hope.” —Brendan Kiely, New York Times bestselling coauthor of All American Boys and author of Tradition
Golden “Go” Jennings wasn’t supposed to be on Bus 21 the day it blew up in New York City. Neither was her boyfriend, Chandler. But they were. And so was Rudy, a cute stranger Go shared a connection with the night before. And Caroline, a girl whose silence ended up costing nineteen people their lives.
Though it’s been a year since the bombing, Go isn’t any closer to getting over what happened. With Chan completely closed off to even talking about it, Go makes an impulsive decision: round up the rest of the survivors and head to New York City. There they will board an art installation made of the charred remnants of Bus 21 and hopefully reach some sort of resolution.
But things are never easy when it comes to rehashing the past. Uniting the four stirs up conflicting feelings of anger and forgiveness, and shows them that, although they all survived, they may still need saving.
- Survivor’s Guilt: Four teens are bound by a shared secret: they’re the only ones who walked away from the Bus 21 bombing. But for Go, Rudy, Chan, and Caroline, living is the hardest part.
- Relationship in Crisis: Go’s boyfriend, Chan, refuses to talk about the explosion, while Rudy—a stranger she met the night before—seems to be the only one who understands. Her heart is caught in the middle.
- A Road Trip to the Past: One year later, the four survivors return to New York City to board a haunting art installation: the reconstructed, charred remnants of the bus itself.
- Dealing with Trauma: A raw, unflinching look at the aftermath of tragedy, exploring PTSD, anger, forgiveness, and the desperate search for hope in the rubble.