A tangled ball of emotion is how I would describe my feelings after reading Hate List.
Immediately the opening catch with a news headline sucked me into this novel. Told completely through Valerie’s perspective the reader go’s through Valerie’s aftermath. The shooting which is the cause of the story is not so much the story. The gripping aspect of the novel is trudging through the emotions of the after.
Picture a knitting ball with all its many colors all twinned together like a knot- that would be Valerie and my emotions reading this as I went from shock to anger, sadness to frustrated, hopeful to anxious and back to anger again over and over as Valerie feels these things. Shock because she never saw the shooting coming, angry because people think she was a part of it. The majority of what Valerie deals with is depression and sadness. On one hand she’s suppose to be angry with Nick for what he did, but it’s the loss of him that haunts her more.
After healing from being shot in the leg, Valerie goes back to school -unbelievable- I mean the courage to do that was amazing. Sitting in class with her that first day, I could feel the anxiety leaking off the pages from the teachers to the students to the horrendous lunch period. I didn’t know if she was going to make it through that first day or make it out a better person with all the turmoil going on at home. Her whole family is twisted with feelings they can’t handle, at points in the novel I was so raw with Valerie and just as I would see her progress, one of her parents or a teacher would say something so hurtful to knock her down again. Nothing is harder than trying to overcome when everyone who is supposed to love you keeps beating you down.
Reading this I thought it would be hard to feel any connection to Nick and needless to say I never felt sorry for Nick or connected to his reasons or behavior. What I was able to connect emotionally with was Valerie’s grief over losing someone she loved. That key point is what I found pivotal in Browns writing, although the event was inexcusable, someone loved the shooter and made me as a reader realize that ultimately his life was lost too.
Rating
Compelling and thought provoking. Hate List deals with violence, school shootings, murder, bullying, depression, suicide and grief. Contains language and mild sexuality. Recommended for mature teens and adults.
4/5- YA, Shooting-Bullies-Death
I read this book a couple months ago and thought it was really well done! I thought about the book quite a lot for days after I had finished it. We had a 6-hour lockdown at my school earlier this year, so I think it really resonated with me (no one was hurt)
ReplyDeleteWonderful review! I love what you said in the last paragraph. Couldn't agree more. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I read this book in January and still think about it periodically. It really stuck with me. Glad to see you enjoyed it too!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I've had a copy of this for months and I really should read it asap, thanks for reminding me! :)
ReplyDeletei'm new... expectancy to brief nearly more often!
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