The Sweet Hereafter

Dolores Driscoll is plump, middle-aged, has frizzy red hair, and wears men’s clothing. She has been driving the children of Sam Dent to school for more than twenty years. Dolores has one son, William, who is in the army and just returned from abroad, and another, Reginald, who is having marital problems with his wife, Tracy. Dolores cares for her husband, Abbott Driscoll, who was partially paralyzed by a stroke in the 1980s. 

Dolores is very familiar with the roads of Sam Dent, the subtle changes in weather and driving conditions, and the possible dangers from other drivers. She describes herself as driving cautiously, thoughtfully, and defensively, including on the day of the accident. Dolores also tells the reader that she likes to be invisible when she is driving and listen to the talk of the children on the bus. She says she feels almost a child herself when driving them to and from school. Dolores believes her husband is very wise and much more logical than her, and she trusts his slow, thoughtful statements. She has lived in Sam Dent her whole life and has been driving those roads for more than forty years. 

Notably, Dolores’ name includes the word “dolor,” which means a state of great sorrow or distress.