A review by barbn
You by Charles Benoit
3.0
You uses second person omniscient narration to tell the story of Kyle Chase, a high school sophomore who has good intentions but can't seem to make the "right" decision about anything. Kyle is unmotivated and lost. He has a crush on a classmate but can't seem to make anything romantic happen with her. He is smart but uninterested in actually doing any school work. Kyle's life gets more interesting when he meets Zach, a new and mysterious classmate. Kyle gets wrapped up in Zach's world of parties and pranks and begins to believe that Zach is his friend. It isn't until the final chapters that Kyle realizes that Zach has actually entrapped him - and many other "friends" - in a complicated cycle of psychological games and torture.
From the opening lines of this fast-paced novel, the reader knows that something terrible happened in Kyle's past and that his future isn't exactly bright. I kept reading to find out Kyle's fate and was disappointed by an ending that left more questions than answers. I was captivated, especially at first, by the style of narration. I enjoyed the unique perspective and the pace and suspense it added to the book.
You would be a great book for discussion by high school students. It could be paired with other texts with unique narration, about bullying, or about being a modern teenager. Content and language are too mature for middle school students.
From the opening lines of this fast-paced novel, the reader knows that something terrible happened in Kyle's past and that his future isn't exactly bright. I kept reading to find out Kyle's fate and was disappointed by an ending that left more questions than answers. I was captivated, especially at first, by the style of narration. I enjoyed the unique perspective and the pace and suspense it added to the book.
You would be a great book for discussion by high school students. It could be paired with other texts with unique narration, about bullying, or about being a modern teenager. Content and language are too mature for middle school students.