Review: Thought Provoking Look Into The Life of a Criminal's Child
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 15, 2013
For this review and more, visit Such a Novel Idea (dot) com.*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.*I have to start this review out with a couple of caveats… The first is this a tough book to read. The material is dark and uncomfortable at times. While it didn’t make me cry like Hold Still (Nina Lacour) or Wintergirls (Laurie Halse Anderson), I’d definitely classify it as tough issues fiction. The second caveat is that this book, while dealing with child abuse, pedophilia, and murder, do not go into great details. We are not witnessing any scenes of violence and we only experience life through a teenage, nine months after his father has been caught and put in jail.When we are dealing with the depravity of the human condition, it is hard not to have a morbid curiosity. I know I certainly do. There is something that has always intrigued me about special victims cases. As a criminal justice minor, I studied a lot of the themes of this book — and it was really interesting to see those themes integrated into a book for teens.Jed was an “ordinary” teenager with a great life – until one day his father is arrested for the rape and murder of several boys. In the nine months after the shocking revelation, we see the downward spiral his family has taken. His mother is barely functioning and Jed is acting as a guardian to his five year old sister Amy.We start out with a teenager who has been bullied, beaten down, and feels like his life has been ruined. And things only go down from there. It was really interesting to be inside Jed’s mind — we got to see ALL his thoughts. So while some may say the book repeats a lot, I say it is fabulous, because isn’t that what happens when we obsess?And Jed is obsessed with the possibility of him being like his father. It is a legitimate concern, and with no lack of direction or a parental guidance, Jed’s mind gets into a circular logic that is unhealthy.There were so many times I wanted to yell at the characters to SEEK COUNSELING. I hope that teens see that — that these were good people who needed help dealing with something traumatic. It didn’t change who they were. Therapy and counseling are some of the best ways out of a bad place and there is so much stigma attached to it. It is a greater message in this book that I truly appreciated.When Jed opens up to Summer (his best friend/next door neighbor/girl he is in love with) about his paranoia of becoming like his dad, we get to see the first large section of dialogue. And it is one of the most uncomfortable scenes I’ve read in a long time. The material just makes you cringe, and so does the thought patterns of this poor kid. But I absolutely see how he arrived at his conclusions, which is that much more heartbreaking.This is a true contemporary work — it is thought provoking, emotionally draining, and a well applauded look into a prevalent, but not well-discovered part of our society.One thing I know for sure: Entangled Teen books keep proving to be smashing successes in my book (pun… fully intended.)