This is sort of a psychological drama about a teenager who, when he was 9 years old, committed a terrible crime. After spending 4 years in a mental health facility, he is released and needs to figure out how to live with what he has done and make relationships while harboring his secret.

Anyone who wants a very fast-paced read. The first chapter is this (and only this):

Chapter 1 - What I Know

"On the afternoon of his seventh birthday, I set Bobby Clarke on fire.
I was nine.
It was all about Bobby's birthday present.
A baseball glove."

This book manages to make the narrator into a likable and relatable character that you want to root for. Not easy with a character who burned another child alive.

The book hooked me immediately, and I had trouble putting it down. I read 176 pages in one sitting and finished the 292 pages in the next sitting. Excellent character development, depictions of therapy, and family dynamics as well as the broader impact of the MC's childhood crime.

Nothing.

The author uses easy language to understand, but there are enough figurative flourishes to keep me interested. The voice is strong and believably that of a damaged teenager.

This is a "YA" book. But given the content, I'd say that parental guidance should be involved for younger teens. The story is believable enough to mess with an adult's head, let alone a child's.

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Created Jan 13, 2018 at 7:51pm • Submit your own review...