I had already heard a lot about Chris Crutcher in my literature classes before reading one of his books for the first time. He is a former school counselor and his books are frequently banned for containing controversial content.
*Subtle spoilers, maybe? I didn't name names.*
It definitely bothered me that Christians and pro-life people are presented in a negative light. Unfortunately, the representations do have real-life counterparts, but that doesn't mean i want to read about them. They piss me off in real life; i don't want to read about them in fiction. The character who had had an abortion in the book at least did regret it and it hadn't been something she wanted to do. But at the same time, it is argued that if the child is going to have a difficult life, it's better to not allow him/her life at all. As if people who struggle are never happy, nor do they do any good or make anything of their lives. Which, of course, is not true at all. Unfortunately, that is the final say on the subject, if i recall correctly. Although, one might imagine that that character's opinion changed once she found love and happiness, as she had previously lived a horrible life and had been wishing she'd never been born, resulting in her stance on abortion.
Anyway, I wasn't really that into this book either until the end, when it got a little suspenseful. For most of the book, i was desperately searching for a character i could like and i did eventually find one in the teacher/coach, but that was just one reason i didn't care much about the book throughout the majority of it.
*Review written on December 13, 2014.*
5
