THE LOWDOWN:
Matthew Turner doesn’t have faith in anything.
Not in family—his is a shambles after his younger brother was bullied into suicide. Not in so-called friends who turn their backs when things get tough. Not in some all-powerful creator who lets too much bad stuff happen. And certainly not in some “It Gets Better” psychobabble.
No matter what his girlfriend Hayden says about faith and forgiveness, there’s no way Matt’s letting go of blame. He’s decided to “live large and go out with a huge bang,” and whatever happens happens. But when a horrific event plunges Matt into a dark, silent place, he hears a rumble…a rumble that wakes him up, calling everything he’s ever disbelieved into question.
FIRST IMPRESSION:
In the narrow pewter space
between the gray of consciousness
and the obsidian, where dreams
ebb and flow, there is a wishbone
window.
—Paperback ARC edition
SNAPSHOT:
Matthew narrates in first person through the trials and tribulations of a young man on the brink. He’s taking dangerous risks, living life to the fullest here and now–not for some supposed Afterlife or Second Chance. His world and life pull him in opposite directions, even as he stands firmly in his own beliefs. Between his suddenly religious again mother and his science teacher father and his understanding war vet uncle, his Christian club girlfriend Hayden and his old friend/new interest Alexa, and the year ago suicide of his gay and bullied younger brother Luke, there’s a lot here for Matthew to chew on.
As is usual for Hopkin’s work, this one peels back the fluff of YA novels to leave open the raw wounds of being a teenager struggling with the bad hand fate has dealt him. Matt’s memories of the years past, of childhood with Luke leading up to the day he committed suicide, are emotionally gripping and distressing. Readers also get a strong sense of Matt’s parents’ characters through these times, as we learn about the lust but not love that drew the two together.
While the ending wraps up a bit too quick, it is the journey rather than the destination that is the prize in this novel. Like life itself, what we find when we finish is simply the end–the lessons we/Matthew learn along the way are what are important.
Appropriate for ages 15+. Strong language, alcohol or drug use by minors, or sexual situations. Some intense situations.
Deals with family, friendship, romance, loss, faith, bullying, suicide, sexuality and mental health issues.
Readers should be encouraged to discuss the ways in which Matt’s relationships–with himself, his parents, his girlfriend Hayden and new interest Alexa, and even with his little brother and people of faith–are both healthy and unhealthy, and determine for themselves which weighs heavier.
GET IT ON YOUR SHELF:
If you…
- Love novels-in-verse that read like lyrical prose
- Are in need of a book to tug on your heartstrings
- Enjoy deep philosophical discussions about that which is really important in life
- Have a soft spot for smart, sensitive male leads who are still the bad boy type
THE ESSENTIALS:
YA Contemporary
Hardcover & Ebook, 560 pages
Published August 26th, 2014 by Margaret K. McElderry Books (ISBN 1442482842)
http://books.simonandschuster.com/Rumble/Ellen-Hopkins/9781442482845
(Review copy provided by Kathleen Carter Zrelak at Goldberg McDuffie.)
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