A review by heathercottledillon
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

4.0

First, a rant: I am really tired of books in which the female character is super closed off and rude to her love interest and yet he pursues her to the ends of the earth. I don’t know anyone who does that—especially not teenagers, who tend to be afraid of rejection. It just feels forced and like a plot device to make teen girls swoon for the boy who won’t give up no matter what. Totally unrealistic expectations. And it’s almost creepy when a guy ignores the signals the girl is sending and keeps after her anyway. With that off my chest, I have to say that I loved all the other aspects of this book. LHA’s characters always feel real and easy to relate to. I like that she included short chapters from the father’s point of view to make the PTSD feel even more intense. I had trouble putting it down once I got into it. My only complaint is that the end is a bit rushed--I would have liked more wrap-up. Still, very good read that left me with a lot to think about.