“Breaking Point,” by Jennie Hansen, is an adventure packed novel. The novel opens with a peaceful night of camping and hiking in the mountains. As everyone settles in for the night, they are startled as they are warned to evacuate because the damn up the canyon is about to break. Chaos quickly sets in as water begins to come along the canyon floor, and the people are left to help each other escape the rising waters.
Hansen does an excellent job weaving together the lives of complete strangers. The story focuses on two brothers Gage and Trent. Gage is worried about what to do with his life now that he has graduate from college, and Trent is heading off to BYU after a camping trip with his brother. They meet a group of girls (Cassie, Diane and Emily) the night before the flood and become friends. Gage and Cassie begin to develop feelings for each other through their ordeal of escaping the flood.
As the group evacuates Shalise and her son Kobie join them. Shalise is still reeling from her recent divorce and struggling to find the strength and self worth to go on. They are also joined by the Timmermans. Wade and Chelsea Timmerman are struggling with their marriage and Wade has decided to leave Chelsea when they return home from the vacation. Bryan and Rachel their children have picked up on the tension between their parents and are having a difficult time as well. They meet up with Web, a county sheriff who helps to guide them out safely.
Jennie Hansen does a masterful job of weaving the background stories of each her characters together. The effect that each character has on another through this adventure demonstrates the way that humans connect and help each other through difficult times. This is an exciting novel that is difficult to put down. Hansen takes us past the escape from the broken damn into each character’s life to see how this experience has changed them. It is a well-written novel. I highly recommend anything by Jennie Hansen.