From the Publisher
[A] richly realized novel . . . Divided into three parts . . . each part is nearly long enough to have been published as a standalone novel . . . The theme, of course, is a powerful one, and it is passionately and successfully presented in this inarguably important book, which offers no glib answers but invites serious thought and discussion.” — Booklist (starred review)
"In his unflinching and resonant new novel, Bryan Bliss shows that there is no straight line through trauma, no easy recipe for healing. Instead, in three loosely connected stories of young people bound by an all-too familiar tragedy, he deftly illuminates the small moments of human connection and resolve that might just lead to a place of grace." — Gayle Forman, bestselling author of If I Stay and I Have Lost My Way
“About one year ago, three students cowered together under a staircase during a mass shooting in their school. Now, each one is attempting to move on with life in their own way. . . . The characters are real and likable, and their trauma is honest and raw. Bliss raises unanswerable questions that will allow teenage readers room to reflect and debate. . . . An affecting story of trauma and healing.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A year after a school shooting, three teens share their stories. . . . Though showing signs of light, the characters' recovery is far from over by the book’s end, which rings authentically untidy. . . . Each story is a separate meditation on the ways a horrific event can turn a life upside down.” — School Library Journal
“[An] affecting narrative triptych. . . . In each memorable narrative thread, characters are distinct and carefully drawn . . . The three stories do yield 'an honest picture of healing after trauma,' as the author hopes.” — Horn Book Magazine
Horn Book Magazine
[An] affecting narrative triptych. . . . In each memorable narrative thread, characters are distinct and carefully drawn . . . The three stories do yield 'an honest picture of healing after trauma,' as the author hopes.
Gayle Forman
"In his unflinching and resonant new novel, Bryan Bliss shows that there is no straight line through trauma, no easy recipe for healing. Instead, in three loosely connected stories of young people bound by an all-too familiar tragedy, he deftly illuminates the small moments of human connection and resolve that might just lead to a place of grace."
Booklist (starred review)
[A] richly realized novel . . . Divided into three parts . . . each part is nearly long enough to have been published as a standalone novel . . . The theme, of course, is a powerful one, and it is passionately and successfully presented in this inarguably important book, which offers no glib answers but invites serious thought and discussion.
School Library Journal
11/06/2020
GR 9 Up-A year after a school shooting, three teens share their stories. Claire fled Hickory, NC with her brother for Minnesota, where she starts at a new school and tries to find her way back to normalcy through new friends picked up at the skate park. When hints of mental illness start to surface in one of her new friends, Claire, angry that no one picked up the warning signs at her old school, panics and then learns to forgive. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Eleanor (Claire's former best friend) wore a homemade anti-gun T-shirt to school. Not an intentional activist, she garnered a loyal following nonetheless as well as unwanted attention from gun-toting right-wingers. When threats escalate just as she's trying to withdraw from the spotlight and focus on basketball, she must decide how to find her voice but keep her sanity. Finally, readers meet Brezzen as he finds the strength to start back at school after a long time home, immersed in the world of Wizards and Warriors, a Dungeons and Dragons—esque role-playing game that serves both as a pastime and a metaphor for fighting the demons of the shooting. This novel is never gratuitous. The shooting itself is barely referenced and the shooter, appropriately, not at all. Though showing signs of light, the characters' recovery is far from over by the book's end, which rings authentically untidy. Characters' appearances and backgrounds are largely not described. VERDICT Each story is a separate meditation on the ways a horrific event can turn a life upside down.—Jill Heritage Maza, Montclair Kimberley Academy, NJ
Kirkus Reviews
2020-07-14
Three high school students cope with the aftermath of a school shooting.
About one year ago, three students cowered together under a staircase during a mass shooting in their school. Now, each one is attempting to move on with life in their own way. Claire has fled to another state and tried to forget, Eleanor rages against the establishment, and Brezzen has retreated into the escapist fantasy of a Dungeons and Dragons–like game. This book shines in certain areas while stumbling in others. The characters are real and likable, and their trauma is honest and raw. Bliss raises unanswerable questions that will allow teenage readers room to reflect and debate. He offers no trite solutions yet does not feign political neutrality. An element of the story having to do with zero-tolerance rhetoric that promotes criminalizing and expelling troubled kids instead of helping them may not be sufficiently contextualized for some readers. And though the characters and their trauma feel real, the depictions of their respective subcultures of skateboarding, basketball, and tabletop role-playing have the distinct flavor of an adult trying too hard to be hip. Ultimately, the book may leave some readers wanting a stronger thesis or at least a conclusive end to the kids’ stories. But as in trauma and life, sometimes there is no neat ending. Characters default to White.
An affecting story of trauma and healing. (Fiction. 14-18)
