Title: Crash Into Me
Author: Albert Borris
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pub. Date: 7.21.2009
Keywords: Suicide, Roadtrips, Love, Friendship, Family, Grief
Pages: 257
Description (from GoodReads):
Owen, Frank, Audrey, and Jin-Ae have one thing in common: they all want to die. When they meet online after each attempts suicide and fails, the four teens make a deadly pact: they will escape together on a summer road trip to visit the sites of celebrity suicides...and at their final destination, they will all end their lives. As they drive cross-country, bonding over their dark impulses, sharing their deepest secrets and desires, living it up, hooking up, and becoming true friends, each must decide whether life is worth living--or if there's no turning back.
CRASH INTO ME is Albert Borris' first novel and he makes a splash with this open and honest portrayal of four teens contemplating suicide.
The story is told in varying formats: narrative, chatroom sessions, and the occasional pertinent list. The narrative moves the reader through the current events, the chat sessions offer a look at the characters before they began their fateful celebrity suicide-studded roadtrip, and the lists are a small offering of comic relief, albeit dark. Owen narrates, but still maintains his distance by keeping secrets from both the reader and his fellow characters.
The casual discussion of suicide and how each character would like to do the deed is both disturbing and compelling, but necessary. Those who contemplate or plan suicide aren't squeamish about the topic, not if they're serious like our four main characters are. As the novel progresses, the reader begins to see hints and flashes of what drives Frank, Audrey, and Jin-Ae to feel ending their lives is the only option, but Owen's motivations remain somewhat shadowed. It was this mystery that held my attention more than any other part of the novel.
Borris' debut manages to be raw, yet polished - a stunning effect.
Review Copy provided by author.
This sounds good. I've had my eye on this one forever, I totally need to pick it up already. :)
ReplyDeleteWow, this sounds like a really good read. Definitely not like anything I've read before.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a realistic story. I've been wanting to read it, so I'm glad that you liked it :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing :D
Yay, I love this book, glad you liked it.
ReplyDeleteI've heard about this book, but not much about it. So thanks for this review. I didn't know there were four main characters, I'm curious to know how they all felt about suicide since it's a very familiar subject to me.
ReplyDeleteCrash Into Me sounds like a good and emotional read(a very serious topic). Thanks for the great review :)
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds so very good. I love it when authors change up the format and take risks. It sounds like this author has taken quite a few risks--Heavy but creative subject matter and lots of different types of narration/ text included in the narrative. Love it!
ReplyDeleteItss seems to be a little disturbing reading but very interesting in the same time. Not a very common subject, but a very delicate one. For a first novel, Albert Borris took risks, that's courageous :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great review. I agree with you, some of the frankness was hard to read, but very important!
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ReplyDeleteGreat review! I don't really like to read emotional books but im goint to give Crash Into Me a try
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds like a really thought-provoking read (I sometimes like my YA a little disturbing). I'm glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great review. I was unsure about this one until now :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the review! I haven't read about this book yet so it was interesting to know about it! I wonder what sort of ideas the main characters had of how they wish to end their lives and why they wanted to in the first place. I'm really interested in reading this book! and most of all to find out what happens to them!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review this sounds like a great story.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that the readers learn more about the others and the narrater's story stays the mystery.
Thanks for the review. I've had my eye on this for a while. I'm intrigued by the narrator with that veil of mystery.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I don't think I'm prepared for a book like this. I mean, suicide? But I'll still give it a try since you said it was good.
ReplyDeleteI would have never thought the story was quite like this from looking at the cover. How misleading I think! Anyway, it sounds like you enjoyed this. I'm very, very curious about these characters now and what choices they will make.
ReplyDeleteAwesome review ! I've always had my eye on this, but I've never gotten myself to get it. Every great review I read brings me more and more to the side of wanting to read it!
ReplyDelete~Alison
This books looks really interesting. I had a student reading it last year, and she liked it.
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