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3.5/5
Non-Fiction
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Accidentally re-read. I must have read it one summer, maybe the one after 7th grade, from the Multnomah County Library, and then got it again after seeing it on an ace rep list.
Rating: 3.5/5
Pages: 336
Started: 2 July 2022
Finished: 2 July 2022
Summary:
Three years after surviving a school shooting, Lee decides she wants to finally take control of the narrative. Because the heroic story about her best friend, Sarah, dying a martyr after defending her religion, a cross necklace in her hand? It's a lie. Sarah died just as Lee lived: afraid. And with the support of a few of her survivor friends, Denny and Miles, Lee begins to find the courage to tell the truth, including the one about her identity as aspec. But some of the survivors want nothing more than to leave their past behind. Lee's mission to bring the other survivors together to finally tell their stories of what happened during the shooting brings to light difficult truths, but ones that must be faced in the process of healing.
Thoughts:
In light of recent events, the school shooter narrative was a little much for me. I honestly considered stopping about a third of the way in, but I decided that both to understand more about school shootings, PTSD and trauma and to untangle the truly interesting mystery of the novel, I would continue. This book was solidly good. I liked the way PTSD was shown as difficult and complex and different for different people. I also liked the mystery aspects of it, and the friendships present. By far my favorite part, though, was the ace representation. The way Lee described herself -- on the asexual spectrum, romantically interested but no further than that, and afraid to mess up a friendship -- was really interesting, and the acceptance she got from the few friends she did tell was really sweet. This book was a bit rough, but I'm glad I made it through.