Genre: Young AdultMy Source: Library
Rating: 5/5
Summary: Seven months ago, Willow was driving the car that took both her parents' life. Stricken with grief, guilt, and the drastic changes in her life, Willow seeks to find refuge and solace. She finds this in a metal blade.
Now Willow is a cutter. She is unable to stop, as her whole life falls apart. And then she meets a boy named Guy, and maybe -- just maybe -- he can teach her how to change everything, if only she would allow herself to.
Review: This novel has two important and great strengths; its ultimate message and the main characters. The message reaches out to a vast number of people, going through a difficult time -- who feel as if their life has gone down the drain. Those who seek refuge, but can not find it. Those who feel there are no other solution. We can all pretend, fool, and blind ourselves into thinking these people and these kinds of situations don't exist, but the fact is, they do. This book shows that, we never really know what's going on in everyone's lives, behind closed doors. And the message is delivered by none other than the main protagonist; Willow.
Willow is extraordinary to me; complex, believable, real, and strong -- despite everything.
The other main character, Guy, is also someone that I personally look up to from now on -- perfectly flawed, but strong and kind-hearted. He shows compassion and understanding, which are both traits we subconsciously often forget.
As for the writing, I found it to be incredibly real. The prose is beautiful, and the dialogues between the main characters are believable, that I feel like I am really listening into an actual conversation. Never did it seem that the author was trying a bit too hard and/or pushing it too far.
That being said, I give this credible and realistic novel a 5 star rating. It is a sad book, but to me, it also is in a way, quite uplifting. It is an emotionally moving, touching, and sometimes overwhelming story. It is the type of book that has the power to inspire and quite possibly, make a significant change in someone going through what Willow did. I think any book that can do this needs and deserves to be read.
Willow is extraordinary to me; complex, believable, real, and strong -- despite everything.
The other main character, Guy, is also someone that I personally look up to from now on -- perfectly flawed, but strong and kind-hearted. He shows compassion and understanding, which are both traits we subconsciously often forget.
As for the writing, I found it to be incredibly real. The prose is beautiful, and the dialogues between the main characters are believable, that I feel like I am really listening into an actual conversation. Never did it seem that the author was trying a bit too hard and/or pushing it too far.
That being said, I give this credible and realistic novel a 5 star rating. It is a sad book, but to me, it also is in a way, quite uplifting. It is an emotionally moving, touching, and sometimes overwhelming story. It is the type of book that has the power to inspire and quite possibly, make a significant change in someone going through what Willow did. I think any book that can do this needs and deserves to be read.
Willow was such a wonderful book. It really was an overwhelming and emotional story like you said. Great review.
ReplyDeleteAdded this one to my TBR list. The list is seriously getting unmanageable but this is the kind of book that sounds like it's going to hit close to home (in a good way). I wasn't the cutter, but I had friends who were virtually addicted to it, and I did go through a masochistic/self-harm phase -- I just didn't cut.
ReplyDeleteI see this book EVERYWHERE! It's like it's following me! But I haven't decided if I want to read it or not :)
ReplyDeleteGreat review, I may actually just give in and read it already!