The Impossible Knife of Memory

I couldn't put this down, but I did feel really down the whole time I read this due to the weighty matters it addresses.

Hmm. I did like a lot about this–I think it's good and important to have YA books that realistically deal with PTSD and the way it can impact teens. Hayley's narration of her first year in public school after years of being “unschooled” by her dad reminded me a lot of Mean Girls. Hayley thinks all high schoolers are either freaks or zombies (she herself is a freak), and I could definitely see her POV being appreciated by a lot of teen readers.

I also enjoyed her nonconformist approach to high school classes, especially her willingness to call out her history teacher on his imperialist viewpoint. You tell him, Hayley.

I have read some reviews noting the implausibility of the ending, but to be honest I was reading the last 1/4 or so on the edge of my seat and I didn't stop to question it as I read it.

This will be a hit with teen fans of Laurie Halse Anderson's contemporary YAs like Speak and Wintergirls, as well as any teens looking for books with some psychological drama.