Impossible To Put Down

My last book of 2013, my first review of 2014…things are good so far! And in other news, I just realized that this is the very first review of this book on Amazon. That *never* happens to me. Cool beans.

Laurie Halse Anderson's The Impossible Knife of Memory has all the hallmarks of a young adult novel: boy/girl relationship, troubled parent, good friend with her own issues. If you left it at that, it would be the same old story that fills so many YA novels. Thankfully, Anderson's writing and her sense of character make this book a cut above the rest.

Hayley's job is to make sure her father stays sane and doesn't hurt himself. Or at least, that's the job she's been saddled with and she doesn't know any other way of life. Her father is a veteran suffering from PTSD; as a result, when he isn't drinking or doing drugs, he's running away to try to dull the pain. This year, her eighteenth, he's taken her home to her grandmother's house and enrolled her in school (something she hasn't been attending since riding shotgun with him while he was a truck driver). Suddenly Hayley has the school officials looking at her, expecting her to do and be things she's not used to, and her father's condition is a minefield of issues. At least Hayley has a friend in Gracie and a boyfriend named Finn; there are people out there who care what happens to her. But holding it all together may end up being too much for all of them.

Hayley's situation had me so angry I couldn't see straight; sadly enough, there are plenty of kids out there who must be the parent to their own parent, and her problems just keep multiplying. I watched as events spiraled out of control and became completely absorbed in Hayley's desperation as she tried to make everything work out while keeping her walls up. Anderson makes the story work without becoming too overwhelming or too neat; it would be interesting to see what happens as Hayley's life progresses. This glimpse into what a child of a PTSD vet may endure is illuminating and riveting, and Anderson remains one of the best young adult writers around.

~taminator40

Let the Reading Frenzy Continue With...

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson



I always know I'm in for a special treat whenever I begin a book written by Laurie Halse Anderson. Somehow she gets into the hearts of her characters and pulls their problems, hopes, and experiences to the surface bit by bit, dragging the reader along until you realize you've been inside the very skin of the characters. So it was with Wintergirls, her newest novel and quite possibly her finest to date.



Wintergirls is the story of anorexic Lia, whose former best friend Cassie is found dead in a hotel room. Despite the estrangement between the girls, Cassie, obviously drunk and in pain, repeatedly called Lia's phone in the hours before her death; Lia had ignored the calls and the guilt threatens to consume her. Both girls had suffered from eating disorders, and Cassie's ultimately led to her death; even knowing this, Lia finds herself falling back into the old patterns of not eating and over-exercising, hoping to find control over one aspect of her life. We can almost visibly see Lia's spiral into desperation in her feeble attempts to reach out to someone totally unsuitable and her denial that she is hurting herself or anyone she loves.


Wintergirls is a realistic story and one that many people might identify with, even if they haven't experienced an eating disorder. It's incredibly hard to be vulnerable, and Anderson captures the terror and angst Lia feels brilliantly. I particularly liked the relationship between Lia and her step-sister Emma because it showed that there was yet hope in Lia's life. I was a little dismayed that cutting was also highlighted but perhaps cutting is also a hallmark of anorexics (since I'm unfamiliar with anorexia's specifics). But this book is so absorbing and well-written on so many levels that there really is nothing to complain about. Highly recommended for readers of all ages.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

I'll preface this review with the cool fact that I met Laurie Halse Anderson a few years ago when our then librarian was able to convince her to come to our school (Croft Middle) to speak to small groups of students. She did the neatest little activity with the kids--she had them randomly list some words and then tell them they could make a story out of them. I loved it. She's a nice, personable lady, and if I hadn't already liked her before, I was really impressed after I saw her in action.

I scooped up Anderson's newest novel, Chains, when our now librarian received it as an ARC a couple of weeks ago. I don't think I've ever been disappointed in a book by Anderson, and this one is no exception. Set during the Revolutionary War, we meet Isabel, an 11 year old (I think) slave who has hopes that she and her younger sister Ruth will be set free as promised upon the death of their mistress. Instead, the mistress's scurrilous nephew not only refuses to free the sisters, he almost immediately sells them to a thoroughly disagreeable woman from New York City. Thus Isabel and her "simple" sister find themselves at the mercy of a mean Loyalist; orphaned and far from home, Isabel plots how to escape while dodging her mistress's hand and insults. Added to her circumstances is Isabel's worry over her little sister's "fits", and this worry is not unfounded; when the mistress discovers Ruth in a spasm, she becomes convinced that the child is possessed by the devil and sells her away from Isabel.

Isabel is a strong character for one so young; she knows her own mind, and secretly educated, she is able to realize what is going on around her in the Loyalist household. Isabel must decide if she's going to use the information she learns to aid the Patriots or the British; uppermost in her mind at all times is what will happen to she and her sister if she is caught. While I was horrified at how Isabel was treated, I was also humbled by her courage and through Anderson's gift of words, able to see her soul of survival even when Isabel herself was having trouble doing so.

Anderson has a way of pulling you into the mind of her characters, and whether historical or modern, you can sense the tension and emotions as the plot unfolds. Though I wondered at times whether Isabel would have thought or done some of the things she did, I felt that Anderson did a very credible job of building suspense and recreating the world of the American Revolution. As usual, Anderson has given us another page turner, and I can easily see many teachers of American history looking for this book as a supplement to their classes. Well written and well executed, Chains brings us the daily life of one small girl who makes a huge difference in a time when she shouldn't have been able to. Recommended!

No Amazon review yet; this one's not available for review until it's officially published.

~taminator40