[.ca] Impulse (ISBN 1416903569)

Impulse.:
I really enjoyed this book. It's written in a way that really brings the characters alive and really brings you into it. That was a bit of a problem, because people with SI habits may feel triggered by a lot of it. It has so much frustration and pain and memories, as well descriptive SI scenes. So anyone with SI habits should be sure that they stay safe while reading the book or stray away from it in general. It really gave a look into the mind, though. It has such realism in the feelings and frustration that the characters feel, but at the same time I found it a little lacking in parts. Some parts didn't quite live up to the rest of the novel. It really is worth picking up and reading. It may seem dauntingly huge, but it only took me two days to read. I spend the majority of my time the last two days reading but I'm also a very slow reader. It's a book I'm already planning on rereading. Overall I gave it a four. If I could give it four and a half I would. It's more than worth reading, but there are obvious flaws.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too:
Three troubled teens cross paths at Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital, after attempting suicide. Connor, Tony, and Vanessa all have demons that try to pull them under and get them to succumb to the temptation to try it again; this time making sure they succeed. Connor's overbearing family, only concerned about his GPA, or his making the varsity football team, or getting into an Ivy League college, offer no solace during his time of need. Feeling suicide is the only answer after a deeply emotional love affair ends, he takes a gun and points it to his chest before pulling the trigger. Tony, after many years in a juvenile home for a crime that still haunts him, decides to ease his feelings of despair and loneliness by swallowing a handful of pills, only to vomit them up and be found by the police lying on the sidewalk unconscious. Vanessa is a cutter. In order to ease her mind in any time of stress she slices her skin with anything sharp enough to do the job. One day, when she was drowning in her blue ocean of sadness, she cuts too deep. She feels herself slipping into the abyss until her younger brother, Bryan, walks in and finds her. When he calls for their ex-nurse Grandma, she is able to hold off death. After arriving at Aspen Springs, Connor, Tony, and Vanessa are introduced to a life under constant surveillance, strict routines, and hours and hours or counseling. Immediately the three form a bond, feeling drawn to one another as if they might be able to save each other from death. Together they navigate the regulations of the hospital and make progress toward healing as they tell each other their deepest, darkest secrets; things they won't even tell their counselors. Ellen Hopkins uses her wonderful free verse style to weave together the story of three troubled teens as they attempt to heal the terrible scars left by their lives. The consistency the author uses when alternating the points of view makes the story easy to follow. Hopkins gives away just enough information that the reader feels a part of the story while still saving a big bang for the end. IMPULSE is a great story that reveals the importance of family during the healing process and is a must read for anyone who knows a teen. Reviewed by: Karin Perry