Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Library Lounge Lizard

even months ago on a rainy March
night, Willow's parents drank too much wine at dinner and asked her to
drive them home. But they never made it-Willow lost control of the car,
and both her parents were killed.

After the accident
Willow leaves behind what she refers to as her "old life" and moves in
with her older brother who is a newly married, young college professor
with a new baby. From the beginning Willow feels like a burden and a
constant reminder of her brothers loss due to the accident she believes
was her fault.

Willow has not been able to cry since waking up
from the accident and her only release from her pent up emotional pain
is to slice into her arms and legs. "You
couldn't really say that something that hurts so badly feels good
exactly. It's more that it just feels right. And something that feels
so right just couldn't be bad. It has to be good."

Willow
is also working at the college library while attending the local high
school in order to help her brother out with finances. This is where
she meets Guy, the first person to discover her clandestine activities.
He is devastated by what she is doing to herself and vows to be there
if she ever needs him. What follows is a blossoming romance that Willow
is not prepared to deal with. This relationship along with the guilt
she feels about her brother is the heart of this story.

Overall
I really enjoyed this book. I connected with Willow in more of a
motherly sense, my heart was breaking for her! She is definitely a
character you will care about. Hoban's descriptive writing in regards
to Willow's cutting moments is so vivid I literally started to feel
queasy and had to skip ahead! I'll admit that I have a pretty weak
stomach and at times it felt like I was sitting right there with her.
I
encourage parents and schools to purchase this book because there are
so many fallacies out there regarding why kids self-mutilate. Hoban
does a great job of showing the pain and horror behind the actual
circumstances.