Scan barcode
A review by sasha_in_a_box
Brutal Youth by Anthony Breznican
5.0
Oh man. This book is, for the lack of a better word, brutal. It battered me and wrung me out and fluffed me out and then wrung me out again and then tossed me to flap in the wind... I don't know why a laundry metaphor is necessary, but that's exactly how I felt.
I really hate books about bullying, because I'm just not strong enough to read them. Here comes an irrelevant story about me in 3rd grade, so it's marked with a spoiler if you want to skip over it.
I was teased and bullied a little in elementary school. Nowhere near as traumatic as in this novel, because it was mostly name-calling (I was the smallest in my class so they called me Pampers, or my Japanese classmates told me I had "poop hair", etc.) Just when my 3rd grade Japanese classmates were gearing up to get really nasty, they started leaving notes in my desk that upset me and I let it show. But then they fucked up. One of the notes said: "Go back to America and die". JOKE'S ON YOU, I'M FROM RUSSIA. After that, their efforts were transparent to me and I realized that they don't actually care about me personally. Their ignorance because my shield, and the mean kids eventually gave up. I never did have friends there until I switched schools the next year, but I was okay with that tradeoff. I was very, very lucky. Japanese school bullying is insane, and I basically got off scot-free. Just thinking about the plunge that I almost involuntarily took is scary. And it's that thought that makes it impossible for me to imagine what it's like for the kids who actually fall down that cliff or get dragged into it.
I'm not strong enough to read about that intense pain and humiliation. But this book holds you firmly by the shoulder and takes you through one cruel high school hallway anyway.
The three main characters are Davidek, Stein and Lorelei, who are freshmen at a private Catholic school known for its extensive hazing. They are bullied and they fight back in their own ways, while struggling to live up their own expectations. Each has problems outside of school. Each has an idea of who they want to be. Some secrets are heartbreaking, especially Stein's. They all do despicable things, and noble things, and stupid things. Each character is fleshed out fully, and their actions follow their personalities completely. Very, very strong work there. And it's not just the main characters. Every single peripheral character is a fully developed person as well. Most of them made me empathize, even after their lowest moment. That's amazing, and I can't believe this is Anthony Breznican's debut. The novel packs a fearsome punch. So I can't wait to get punched by Anthony's word-fist again in the future.
Read this book if you have any experience with teasing, humiliation, bullying, abuse, unfair treatment, or dissolution of friendship. It's unflinching without being dramatic. And you will walk away with unforgettable words.
-I got and ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review-
I really hate books about bullying, because I'm just not strong enough to read them. Here comes an irrelevant story about me in 3rd grade, so it's marked with a spoiler if you want to skip over it.
Spoiler
I was teased and bullied a little in elementary school. Nowhere near as traumatic as in this novel, because it was mostly name-calling (I was the smallest in my class so they called me Pampers, or my Japanese classmates told me I had "poop hair", etc.) Just when my 3rd grade Japanese classmates were gearing up to get really nasty, they started leaving notes in my desk that upset me and I let it show. But then they fucked up. One of the notes said: "Go back to America and die". JOKE'S ON YOU, I'M FROM RUSSIA. After that, their efforts were transparent to me and I realized that they don't actually care about me personally. Their ignorance because my shield, and the mean kids eventually gave up. I never did have friends there until I switched schools the next year, but I was okay with that tradeoff. I was very, very lucky. Japanese school bullying is insane, and I basically got off scot-free. Just thinking about the plunge that I almost involuntarily took is scary. And it's that thought that makes it impossible for me to imagine what it's like for the kids who actually fall down that cliff or get dragged into it.
I'm not strong enough to read about that intense pain and humiliation. But this book holds you firmly by the shoulder and takes you through one cruel high school hallway anyway.
The three main characters are Davidek, Stein and Lorelei, who are freshmen at a private Catholic school known for its extensive hazing. They are bullied and they fight back in their own ways, while struggling to live up their own expectations. Each has problems outside of school. Each has an idea of who they want to be. Some secrets are heartbreaking, especially Stein's. They all do despicable things, and noble things, and stupid things. Each character is fleshed out fully, and their actions follow their personalities completely. Very, very strong work there. And it's not just the main characters. Every single peripheral character is a fully developed person as well. Most of them made me empathize, even after their lowest moment. That's amazing, and I can't believe this is Anthony Breznican's debut. The novel packs a fearsome punch. So I can't wait to get punched by Anthony's word-fist again in the future.
Read this book if you have any experience with teasing, humiliation, bullying, abuse, unfair treatment, or dissolution of friendship. It's unflinching without being dramatic. And you will walk away with unforgettable words.
-I got and ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review-