Edited by Shaun David Hutchinson
Collected Authors: Kendare Blake, Steve Brezenoff, Delilah S. Dawson, Trish Doller, Margie Gelbwasser, E.M. Kokie, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Tom Leveen, Hannah Moskowitz, Elisa Nader, Beth Revis, Mindi Scott, Neal Shusterman, Courtney Summers, Blythe Woolston, Christine Johnson and Brendan Shusterman
Genre: Psychological contemporary
Basic Plot: Collection of short works from seventeen perspectives about a school shooting. Perspectives including, those who know the shooter well, victims of the crime, to those who simply hear about the fallout of such a horrendous act.
Contemporary isn’t generally my choice of narratives, but I figured with the multiple perspectives it would give an interesting spin on a crime that, more recently, has become woefully common. It did just that. This novel was gripping. I call it a novel, even though each story was written by separate authors, for the fact that all the tales intertwine beautifully and it never fully feels like they’re separate at all. It was interesting taking usage of different writing styles to add depth and different personalities to the characters narrating. Honestly, it was a touching story. A part of me felt that the actual perpetrator was a little under developed since you never get to fully delve into his side but that’s also what I decided at the end, made this one stand out from most books also tackling this same topic, it wasn’t meant to ever be about Kirby, it was meant to be about what this can do a community, an individual and families all over. It was captivating for different reasons. Some perspectives were so heartfelt, I cried. Others were so mysterious, I wanted an entire book to read about that one character. There were surprises littered throughout that made you re read and ask yourself if that was really what they just said happened.
The characters and the differentiation between feelings will give any reader something to walk away with. A new perspective on a tragedy we are hear about more than most of us would like to.
I gave this a 4.5 out of 5 due to originality and the excellent portrayal of feelings found in every page turn. This is a strongly written collection of stories that has the ability to draw in even the most opposed to contemporary readers because in these pages, they’ll be someone you can relate to or feel sorrow for.
