A review by leelah
Atlanta Burns by Chuck Wendig

4.0

"Like she’s a poisonous toad or toxic jellyfish—interesting to look at, but for God’s sake, do not touch."

Meet Atlanta Burns.
Reluctant hero of gay kids and awkward nerds.
Savior of puppies.
Thorn in bigot's ass.
So, what if she sleeps with a shotgun? Some people need nightlight and a teddy bear- she is cool with comforting presence of her single-shot .410 bore scattergun.
From terrible mind of Chuck Wendig, comes unusual heroine with coolest name ever and it goes with reputation.

***********************

I keep thinking that this book is like one giant mash of opposite things:

It's Young Adult book, but for adults.
These days, putting anything in boxes, with firmly determined boundaries calls for challenging and defying it- same goes with genres. If we are to call some book YA because main character is still in high school and there are no sex scenes... then [b:Atlanta Burns|23109035|Atlanta Burns (Atlanta Burns #1)|Chuck Wendig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414976904l/23109035._SX50_.jpg|42656525] fits the bill. Still, if you are thinking of buying it to teen reader, thread carefully: this book tackles some really disturbing themes like cruelty to animals, gay bashing,murder, torture and sexual abuse of a minor. Nothing is smoothed ever or toned down- Wending is showing human evil in its truest, filterless sense, and if anything, narrator's age just made it even more disturbing for me.

It's over-the-top, but somehow uncomfortably realistic.
This book covers two previously published novellas: [b:Shotgun Gravy|12874993|Shotgun Gravy (Atlanta Burns #1.1)|Chuck Wendig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328856455l/12874993._SX50_.jpg|18027790] and [b:Bait Dog|15804295|Bait Dog (Atlanta Burns #1.2)|Chuck Wendig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344410280l/15804295._SX50_.jpg|21528069]. In first one, Atlanta is taking on Neo-Nazi cult who are in the business of bulling and torturing gay kids. In second one, Atlanta is trying to shot down illegal dog-fighting ring. Villains, action scenes, Atlanta's voice - it's like Tarantino's movie, with ridiculous, pulpy premise that this kid is actually pulling this off.
But under all that plot whack-a-mole that calls for suspension of disbelief, reader is aware that bulling or abuse exists and it looks exactly like it was depicted in books. It's not dog baits that will sound like stretch of imagination...it's the fact that anyone can do anything about it.

It's funny as hell, but serious as death.
Atlanta's voice is priceless- she is this sassy, foul-mouthed bad ass kid with low bullshit tolerance level. It has that peculiar, smart and quirky Wendig humor:

What is this?” Mrs. Lewis asks. The woman’s got some mean eyebrows. Like two fuzzy caterpillar lovers, straining to reach one another, trying to make out. Now those furry brows are scrunched up tight.
“Huh?”
“You heard me.”
“It’s my paper,” Atlanta says with some authority. Because, duh, it is.
“It’s one page.”
“Thank you. Yes.”
“I asked for a seven-page paper.”
Atlanta blinks. “Yeah. I know. And mine’s one page.”
“Do you remember how you ended the paper?” Mrs. Lewis asks. “Do you remember how you reached the conclusion that resolves your thesis?”
Atlanta does remember. But she just shrugs instead, lets the teacher talk through it.
“This one sentence just . . . trails off and the ending is replaced by ‘blah blah blah.’”
“I thought it was a nice commentary on the futility of collecting information and, uhh, synthesizing, ummm. Thought patterns.” Atlanta nods, having settled that. “Yeah. Synthesizing thought patterns."

Smartass. :)
Now serious as death part comes from the fact that Atlanta is dealing with heavy personal trauma that left her with shakes and panic attacks. Majority of time, she tries to fool others with her careless poking and lack of fear, but reader knows she was throwing in bathroom after. She is a scared kid who is in over her head and nobody is there to help her.

Can't wait to see where will Wendig take Atlanta next. It seems that every time she handles one shit, next one comes piling up.