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Impossible Knife Of Memory, The (2014)

by Laurie Halse Anderson(Favorite Author)

3.95 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1480553603 (ISBN13: 9781480553606)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Brilliance Audio

review 1: Laurie Halse Anderson tackles a tough subject--growing up with a parent who suffers from PTSD. The problems that ensue from this disorder are many and include depression and alcoholism. Perhaps the subject matter handicaps a writer. It is difficult to create a story that moves when the characters seem frozen. We could care so much more for the main character and her situation. The narrative just doesn't pull you in like the author's other books.
review 2: THE IMPOSSIBLE KNIFE OF MEMORY is extremely readable, despite its painful subject. Laurie Halse Anderson has a real talent for writing compelling, honest portrayals of strong, damaged teenagers. Hayley struggles with the question of how to be a typical teenager (attending high school for the first time, having... more friends and a boyfriend) while caring for her alcoholic father, who suffers from a serious case of PTSD, and fighting her own resulting demons. PTSD is such a significant health issue for many veterans, and one that doesn't always generate the attention or care that it requires; I am so grateful that Anderson tackled this subject---faithfully but with compassion---and, particularly, that she addressed the reverberations that PTSD can have for the family members of those suffering. It is a subject that is difficult to look at too closely, but one that is very much a reality for many veterans and their families. Despite the challenges Hayley faces at home, Anderson brought some much-needed (and appreciated) light to this story through the relationships she develops at school: her tumultuous relationship with her dedicated guidance counselor, her friendship with Gracie, and, of course, the lovely, quirky, often awkward (realistically so) romance between Hayley and Finn (which is a little reminiscent of the romance in ELEANOR & PARK). All of these elements combine to portray a slice of real life, with all its heartbreaks and it joys. As Haley notes, perfectly capturing the emotion of the story: "If this were a fairy tale, I'd stick in the 'Happily Ever After' crap right here. But this was my life, so it was a little more complicated than that." less

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