Scan barcode
A review by atwilling
Impulse by Ellen Hopkins
5.0
"Three
separate highways
intersect at a place
no reasonable person
would ever want to go.
Three
people, with nothing
at all in common
except age, proximity,
and a wish to die."
This is a quote from the book Impulse, by Ellen Hopkins. She has a very interesting way of writing her books, in the form of poems. For the first 40 pages it just about drives you crazy, but then you learn to love how her style brings you into the lives of these three teens in a psychiatric hospital.
The three teens all tried to kill themselves. Conner, the jock who had everything from money to the prettiest girls tried to commit suicide by shooting himself in the chest. Tony, a gay boy, lived on the streets tried to kill himself by a drug overdose. The only main character who is a girl is Vanessa. Vanessa lived with her grandmother because her mother had severe BPD (Bi-Polar Disorder) and her father was in the army. She, like her mother, had BPD and she coped with it by cutting. One day she cut too deep, and almost died.
The story is told in first person by all three characters, and is extremely moving. It shows you a whole world that you may not know anything about. It takes you through the lives of these messed up teens as they move up levels in the rehab and learn the details of each other's lives. As they grow closer and closer, you get more and more attached to them and will be able to feel the pain and problems they have. By the time Conner, Vanessa, and Tony get to the last level and go on a wilderness retreat, you feel like you are in the book with them. It's one of those books that you can't put down. You don't want it to end. You definitely can't help but loving this book.
separate highways
intersect at a place
no reasonable person
would ever want to go.
Three
people, with nothing
at all in common
except age, proximity,
and a wish to die."
This is a quote from the book Impulse, by Ellen Hopkins. She has a very interesting way of writing her books, in the form of poems. For the first 40 pages it just about drives you crazy, but then you learn to love how her style brings you into the lives of these three teens in a psychiatric hospital.
The three teens all tried to kill themselves. Conner, the jock who had everything from money to the prettiest girls tried to commit suicide by shooting himself in the chest. Tony, a gay boy, lived on the streets tried to kill himself by a drug overdose. The only main character who is a girl is Vanessa. Vanessa lived with her grandmother because her mother had severe BPD (Bi-Polar Disorder) and her father was in the army. She, like her mother, had BPD and she coped with it by cutting. One day she cut too deep, and almost died.
The story is told in first person by all three characters, and is extremely moving. It shows you a whole world that you may not know anything about. It takes you through the lives of these messed up teens as they move up levels in the rehab and learn the details of each other's lives. As they grow closer and closer, you get more and more attached to them and will be able to feel the pain and problems they have. By the time Conner, Vanessa, and Tony get to the last level and go on a wilderness retreat, you feel like you are in the book with them. It's one of those books that you can't put down. You don't want it to end. You definitely can't help but loving this book.