Why Us!

In Janet Manning's novel, Why Us!, readers are taken on a tour-de-force journey through one small family's struggle to survive the harrowing trials and tribulations of a difficult and shocking family loss. After Sam and Jean's seven-year old child, Stephan, gets hit by a car while riding his bike, he is rushed to the hospital, but doesn't survive intense injuries. Reeling from the abrupt new reality forced upon them by Stephan's sudden death, Sam and Jean, and their surviving daughter, Martha, try to cope with overwhelming grief, shame, and guilt, as each member of the family deals with their pain in a different manner, all the while striving for elusive recovery from this life-changing tragedy. As Martha's means of escape take her down her own dark path and unplanned pregnancy, Jean and Sam must face their own demons and medical issues, as the family tries to re-unite in shared pain.