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Life Interrupted (2000)

by Kristen Kehoe(Favorite Author)

4.01 of 5 Votes: 5

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review 1: Voice is so important in young adult fiction in setting tone and developing character. Rae's voice rings true, both funny and self-deprecating. Rae (aka Rachel aka Flow) looks at life head on and narrates it unblinkingly, no regrets, despite an event that interrupted her life at the age of sixteen. I was struck by the aptness of the title, Life Interrupted, in describing Rae's state as the book opens at the start of senior year. Can Rae fortify her relationships--friend, sister, lover? Can someone like her go to college? Learn to ask for and receive help from those who love her? These are issues with which many teens grapple, but not many whose lives have been so interrupted.A particular strength of author Kehoe is the portrayal of relationships. There are no villains--wel... morel, there is one, but not the one you're expecting--instead, there are misconceptions and misdirections. High school is treacherous, especially when you are the object of scorn, but friendship can come from unexpected places. Ultimately what matters is to dare to dig in and untangle the threads of relationships. To that end, Rae supports her neglected friend and braves what she imagines is the scorn of her sister. A harder task is for Rae to allow herself to love and be loved. Tripp, her best friend and secret love interest, is kind and loyal as well as sincere in his affection for Rae's daughter. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of Tripp with Rae's Ex, he of the one night stand. The ensuing and inevitable conflict between Tripp and Ex set my heart a-beating!Yet even the Ex in his way is not evil. Kehoe handles his character with finesse, folding him into her deft exploration of the abandonment issues that trouble all the characters--and perhaps many non-fictional teens--but Rae, most of all, with her brusque leave-them-before-they-leave-you approach. How do you overcome abandonment? How can Rae? You'll have to read Life Interrupted to find out.I didn't love the epilogue. This from a gasp! die-hard proponent of prologues and epilogues. However, in this case I felt the epilogue was an add-on I didn't need and didn't want. I would have preferred to imagine the post-life myself. That aside, I enjoyed the book and recommend it for those who like to read about tough teens making tough choices.
review 2: Reviewed for Readers' FavoriteThe PlotIn Life Interrupted, a young adult/new adult contemporary romance novel by Kristen Kehoe Rachel (called Flow by her friends) is a senior in high-school, she's a volleyball player who is fierce and and independent and may not always think before she acts. She's in love with her best friend Tripp and had a one year old daughter named Gracie.Even though she is in love with her best friend, in the past both of them were afraid to admit their feelings which led to Rachel making an impulsive decision that left her pregnant.A little more wiser a year later she and Tripp are still drawn to each other and this time instead of keeping things bottled up they let things out with impressive results.Even so a facet of Rachel's past threatens to burst their happy bubble as Gracie's father, a suspected drug dealer and all around sleaze suddenly wants to be back in Rachel's life.The Thinky BitsI loved Life Interrupted by Kristen Kehoe! Rachel is a such a compelling and engaging character, her tone and perspective grabbed my attention by page three and refused to let go of it till the end.Even though she's a teen mother and single parent Rachel isn't alone in the book as her mother, sister, grandmother, her best friend Katie, and of course Tripp provide her with a great support network and as the book progresses she learns that even though she's totally fierce and strong (and tall) that it is still okay to lean on people when they want to help.Since this is a romance I would be remiss if I didn't talk a little about Tripp. He was her best friend since they were young and it's easy to see the camaraderie between them even after they get together (and when She and Tripp got together so many sparks were flying they threatened to burn the book). He's perfect for her and I enjoyed reading about him, her and Gracie till the end.Loved it! less

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