Friday, January 22, 2016

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp E-Arc Review

***I received this book from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***

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Title: This is Where It Ends
Author: Marieke Nijkamp
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: January 5, 2016

Description:

10:00 a.m.
The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.
The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03
The auditorium doors won't open.

10:05
Someone starts shooting.

Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

Review:

" There are no words in that fleeting moment between hope and knowledge. There is no way to express how a heart can burst and break at the same time, how the sun can cut through the darkness but still cast shadows everywhere."

I tried to go into this with an open mind as there were some pretty mixed reviews. I, in a way, expected the mixed response but found that people's reservations were not about the subject matter but by the authors lack of characterization so I decided to give it a chance.

This book has it's moments. It is full of powerful sentiments about society and family and sexuality. In a world where things like school shootings happen more often than anyone dreamed the author does a good job of explaining the situation as it unfolds. 

It is difficult to get into the head of someone who would do something like this and the author doesn't really take that angle. She does describe some of the incidents that lead the shooter to his actions which include a lack of friendships, difficulty socializing, a girlfriend dumping him, death, and an abusive parent. However, I don't really think this book is only about him.

Because of the constant shift in perspectives we are able to connect students to students and realize the interconnections that form in high school. From the only openly gay kid being a victim of the shooting, not because he is gay but because the shooter felt victimized by him to the shooters own sister's relationships and connections all leading up to the conclusion of the book.

I enjoyed it as much as you can reading difficult subject matter like this and thought the book was sincere in its descriptions. At times I felt it was a bit disjointed jumping from perspective to perspective but overall it was a pretty solid read.

I wouldn't suggest this for anyone who something like this might hit a little too close to home to read. It is at times graphic in terms of violence but I did find it to be realistic and its subject matter important.

My Star Rating:
3.5 out of 5

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