The book merely attempts to show that the shooter was, to a certain extent, also a victim. Obviously his horrendous actions are not excused in this novel. One of the themes that underpinned the story was ‘Are monsters born or made?’ His act was indeed a monstrous one but the novel tries to humanise him somewhat to illustrate that some people eventually reach a snapping point. It was more that I felt exhausted with the weight of her feelings and the feelings of those around her pressing down on me throughout the novel. Her struggle to make sense of her feelings of grief and guilt, and her continued love for the person who committed such a heinous act felt so believable and raw. The writing was such that I felt connected to Val and everything that she went through prior to and after the shooting.
Obviously it’s hard to comment on whether this was ‘enjoyable’ given that it was about a school shooting, so instead I will say it was a really engaging book. This book is about quite a challenging topic. CW: Described school shooting, suicide and suicide attempts, dealing with the loss of loved ones, depression, guilt, dealing with shooting injuries, bullying, unhealthy family relationships, extra- martial affair, unsupportive father.
0 kommentar(er)
