Personal Response:
I enjoyed reading this book, because it was not another book talking about something a million other people have talked about. The book was mainly focused on suicide and for many people, this can be a sore subject. Ellen Hopkins did a great job bringing the feeling to life in a way other readers could relate to. I also enjoyed her writing style, because each chapter was a different person explaining their point of view in the institution. It flipped back and forth from three different characters, so the reader was able to see each one of their thoughts on every situation.
Plot:
Vanessa, Conner, and Tony all had rocky paths and not ideally the best childhood. Each of their backgrounds was different in a lot of ways; however, it led to one common ground. They all attempted to commit suicide and all ended up in a mental institution. Hesitation was the first thing that crossed their minds when they arrived at the institution. They thought that three people who were so deep in depression could not possibly find a reason to live surrounded by more mentally ill people. Some of them hid their medicine, some cut in their spare time, and others had negative attitudes that distracted them from getting better. Negative emotions were not the only factors in this story, but factors of love played a huge role too. It started when the three of them met each other. Tony, instantly, was attracted to Vanessa, even though he was gay. He, initially, had a little obsession with her, but he did not know if it was wanting to be her friend or more. Vanessa was initially attracted to Conner, but later fell in love with Tony. There were different stages they could get awarded in the mental institution which qualified their leaving status. The final stage, otherwise known as stage four, was the survival unit. They had to go out in the wilderness as a group and use survival skills to climb, hike, go to the bathroom, and stay warm. During this stage, one of them did not make it out alive, but which one?
Characterization:
Vanessa: Vanessa was a teenage girl, who suffered with a bipolar disorder. She did not realize it at first, because she was always way too focused on her mom’s bipolar. Her mom ended up going into a rehab facility to fix her “problem”, and her dad was currently serving in the military at the time she was admitted. Vanessa lived with her grandma, and she had a little obsession with cutting to deal with her pain.
Conner: Conner was an all-star athlete with potential to be accepted in the highest of schools. He seemed like he had everything put together. He was good-looking, smart, rich, and an overall good person. He ended up falling for one of his teachers, Emily, and life as he knew it unraveled. When the authorities got into it, Conner tried to kill himself. When his parents came to visit, they did not care about his mental health stability. It was more of if he will be able to get back to school, back in football, and if he could end up better than his twin sister.
Tony: Tony was a gay teenage boy, who ended up in juvenile for a majority of his childhood. He went to juvenile for killing this man who was majorly mistreating his mother. When he was released, he met this man named Phillip. Phillip was not his lover or his partner. Phillip was sort of like a dad figure to Tony. He took him in, and did everything that he possibly could for Tony. Tony ended up in a deep depression when Phillip died, and tried to take his life too.
Setting:
The book took place in a mental institution called Aspen Springs in Colorado. The mental institution was the main place that everything went down. It affected the story line, because it showed the character’s there was more to life than being in a depressed funk. The state that it took place in affected the story line, because during their challenge they had to climb mountains. The story would not have made any sense in a different state.
Thematic Connection:
A theme that I noticed that kept replaying in Impulse. was that things will get better if people allow them to. This is evident for Vanessa when she was cutting and then went to hang out with Conner and Tony. She realized if she just waited a few more minutes her slight moment of weakness would have disappeared. This theme was also evident when Tony had meetings with his dad. Once Tony put all the anger aside, he was able to form a small relationship with his father.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to ages 14 and up of either gender. I would also recommend the book to kids that have an interest in more deeper subjects and poetry. The book contained a lot of topics that dealt with suicide and depression. It is a little more serious and might hit close to home for some readers.
- Goodreads rating – 4.27
- REVIEW – Marissa Hanneman