Reviews

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

calpal420's review against another edition

Just didn't pick it back up again.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War

write2run's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

reader4evr's review against another edition

3.0

What a heart wrenching, raw and sad book. I can't imagine having to deal with a family member at the age of 16 that is going through something like that. I wish Hayley wouldn't have not waited so long to get her father the help he needed. I think though she was so torn up by her mother and grandmother passing that she felt so alone because all of these people in her life were leaving her. Towards the end of the story I was gasping because I was always thinking the worse was going to happen. Also I wasn't a fan of the ending, I thought it wrapped up way to easy.

Overall I thought Hayley was a likable character but would I want to be her friend...probably not. She did have some funny parts in the story (aka calling other kids at school zombies). I liked Finn, so sweet, was really good with Hayley but I think he wasn't as whiny some of the nicer guys in YA are. I wish her friend Gracie was more supportive but she also was going through difficult things too so she really wasn't the best of friends.

I am a huge fan of Laurie Halse Anderson but this one wasn't my favorite but I still enjoyed it.

fanny_jr's review against another edition

3.5

shaybe90's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jen_the_librarian13's review against another edition

4.0

Fans of Laurie Halse Anderson will be expecting a novel addressing a controversial topic and they will not be disappointed. Her newest book captures PTSD in a very real fashion. Main character, Hayley, is a high school student who has spent the last 5 years of her life on the road with her father running and hiding from her father’s demons. He finally decided to move back home and put her in normal high school. True to her form, Anderson is able to write from the teenage perspective with such accuracy, you would swear she was still a teenager herself.

We start out thinking that Hayley is mostly “strange” because of her father’s severe PTSD. She is forced to play the “adult” and take care of him. We soon learn that her life hasn’t been peaches either. This is mostly because the woman she loved like a mom (her step-mom) walked out and abandoned her after her father returned from the war. She has harbored a lot of resentment towards her to the point that when she starts to make her way back into their lives once again she instantly feels betrayed once again. A few good (and reluctant) heart-to-hearts reveal why she really left and why she is back again.

Because she never knows what will happen with her father, she never brings anyone home and is reluctant to even make friends. Of course there is her old friend, Gracie, that she played with before they started living on the road, but Gracie’s home life has some secrets of it’s own. She kind of reluctantly falls in like with Finn and their growing relationship is pretty much the feel-good part of the novel.

I will admit I was leery of the writing style as soon as I figured out that the POV was going to switch between characters, and to make things worse they weren’t even characters of the same age, it was Hayley and her father. However, I found myself longing for more snippets into his brain because I personally have no experience with PTSD and his parts were eye-opening to some of the daily demons people face.

Overall I was very pleased with her newest book. While I was admittedly worried that I would find it juvenile and not as good as her previous novels (mostly due to the fact that I’ve grown myself). I was almost afraid to pick up this book because I didn’t want to ruin one of my childhood favorites by being disappointed. However, I found it good enough that if I hadn’t read her other books, I would have sought them out.

I give the book 4 rather than 5 stars, because I didn’t find it quite as emotional or impressionable as Speak, plus sometimes it felt like no one had anything good going on and that it was just being a Debbie-downer instead of trying to look at the positives.

alicebme's review against another edition

4.0

I couldn't put it down. It has changed the way I view soldiers and veterans. I grew up during Desert Storm, emulating the neohippy lollapalooza world of the 90s in its wake. I'm a pacifist, with friends who didn't choose the military. I've voted for candidates based on their policies on war and defense budgets, and although I understand the horrible injustice of poor services for vets, I've never really explored the subject far enough to see it on a personal level. I think it's time to do some non-partisan research. Thanks , Laurie.

drridareads's review against another edition

4.0

This was my second book by Laurie Halse Anderson, the first being Wintergirls.
In just two books she has become on of my favourite authors.
This is a great coming of age book, its shows a broken family yet there's love. It deals with subjects like PTSD. I loved the charcter of Hayley; she was cynical and strong. I love how she took care of her dad suffering from PTSD and never having a stable job.
The only reason i wouldn't give this book five stars is that i thought some of the dialogues were pretty unrealistic. Other than that it's a great emotional read.
I'd recommend to people who like young adult fiction.

suvata's review against another edition

3.0

Continuing my TBR project:
This is one the oldest selection on my TBR list - Originally added June 2, 2015.

Heartbreaking story about a teenager who has to deal with her father’s PTSD from the Gulf Wars. All I can say is that I cannot believe what shattered lives some people have to live.

alisonhori's review against another edition

5.0

I thought this was a really excellent book. It is a very character driven book and I was engaged with the characters from start to finish. It is the story of learning to live with depression and heartache and about flawed people who are still good people. It is a messy book but I thought extremely well written and just a good and touching read. I appreciate that it was not a straight tear jerker or really a tear jerker at all.