Ruinous Sweep, The

Donovan was run over by a red truck and his father was beaten to death with a baseball bat. As Donovan lies on his deathbed, his girlfriend Bea sits by the bed recording every word he mumbles as she tries to figure out what happened, while Donovan experiences a dream-like state as he re-lives events and struggles to hold on to life. Tim Wynne-Jones’ thrilling murder mystery is told in their two voices, both relatable and believable characters. The novel can be used with grade 12 students as an independent novel study, in a literature circle, part of a Writer's Workshop, or part of a thematic study on loss, the afterlife, relationships, or cause and effect. Social considerations noted.