A review by booksandbosox
Collateral by Ellen Hopkins

3.0

Telling the story of deployed militia and the family they leave behind, I found Collateral to be quite a departure from the norm for Hopkins. This is only her second foray into adult literature but so far, I haven't found her adult novels as compelling as those for young adults. This book is different from her usual fare for a number of reasons. First, it focuses on only one character - well, not exactly, but there's only one narrator. Additionally, this book is much more political than any of her previous titles, focusing as it does on the military and the war in Iraq. Finally, this book is nowhere near as dramatic as her other books. Usually, a Hopkins book focuses on drugs, sex, religion, abuse, or other dangerous or controversial behavior and topics. Perhaps this book is dramatic in a different way. Regardless, I didn't find this as engaging as her other titles. However, I did feel that the poetry in this book was particularly well done - I don't always actually notice the poems, as engrossed as I am in the story, but I did in this one. This is sure to appeal to teens as well as adults.

Thanks to the publisher for a digital advance reader's copy received via Edelweiss.