Tweezle Reads

This young adult novel is darker than most with an intense edge that left me with three unforgettable characters that will be burned in my mind for many moons to come.

Written from Brenna's point of view, one quickly becomes involved with her pain and guilt over her decision of calling the police when she found her boyfriend, White Bird, standing over a girl, holding a knife and covered in blood. Then the understanding of what happened when Brenna and her mother left that small town to start over, only to have to return two years later with her mother to fix and sell her grandmother's house after her grandmother's death. One finds that her anger is justified, as when Brenna arrived, she is met with a hatred that is unjustly deserved. Being back also awakened more guilt and self-doubt when she went to visit her old boyfriend in the mental hospital. There is no way that the reader cannot get involved with Brenna as she is so "raw".

This story is filled with so many emotions: guilt, terror, sadness, love, shame, anger and forgiveness. It is a powerful story that makes one think about it long after they are finished. It makes one look at life and think all is not always as it seems - from the murder to Joe Sunne, a man Brenna finds that links White Bird to some interesting events.

This highly charged, dark and intense work is a book worth devouring, not only for young adults, but for anyone who enjoys an unforgettable story.