The Sweet Hereafter

Nichole Burnell, who is 14, narrates this chapter. She describes waking up in the hospital room and realizing she has been partially paralyzed and suffered other injuries. She does not remember anything from the actual accident. Everyone around her, including her father, Sam, and her mother, Mary, treats her like a child, refuses to answer her questions, and tells her she is lucky, which annoys her. She learns later that she is “lucky” because so many other children died. Nichole is angry because she realizes she will have to work incredibly hard just to do what is commonplace for most people. 

Nichole comes home from the hospital. Her dad has built a ramp for her and fixed up a downstairs room as a bedroom for her, complete with various modifications to facilitate her transition home. She has her own room and bathroom, which she describes as being like an apartment. Nichole’s two brothers, Rudy and Skip, are self-conscious and don’t know what to say to her. Nichole’s younger sister, Jennie, hugs Nichole and Nichole is happy to see her. Nichole has a present in her room, a new computer, which it turns out is from the lawyer,

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