The Impossible Knife of Memory

All I can say is: man, was this an excellent book! For those of you who don't know, I've been a fan of Laurie Halse Anderson ever since I first read her book Speak back as a freshman in high school. I thought it gave an excellent portrayal of those people who are rape victims, and what they struggle to go through every day is a result of their attack. I also read her book Twisted which was a little more layered, with both a dysfunctional family and a boy who is falsely accused of sexual harassment. This book not only looked at how we perceive those who are accused of a crime, but also it gave a good impression of cyber bullying for the real world (that it is used as a means to an end, not as an end in and of itself). With all this in mind, I went into The Impossible Knife of Memory with high expectations, and they were met in a way that only Anderson can know how.

With Anderson, I already expect to like certain elements of the novel, but one thing that just stuck out to me were some of the excellent lines in this book, like:

“People who have to announce that they are trustworthy deserve to be lied to.”

“wats yr typ?
people who can spell”

“Killing people is easier than it should be.” Dad put on his beret. “Staying alive is harder.”

These, and many others, were either thought provoking, or else had me laughing out loud at times. This writing style makes me want to see what she could do with a premise like in 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. She has a way to display adolescent emotions and high school drama that I think was missing from Asher's novel. I really missed Anderson's writing, which is something that both teens and Adults can relate to. This is one of the hallmarks of her novel.

The situation of this book is also something that we do not see in typical YA books. Hayley Kincaid is our main character who has to deal with a father, Andy, who suffers from PTSD after coming home from war in the Middle East. Both Hayley and her father struggle to combat the problems that Andy's PTSD causes. One of the good elements of this novel is that it shows that there is no easy solution for this problem, and that more needs to be done to help those Veterans face these problems. All of the characters in this novel, when it comes to dealing with Andy's PTSD, are both sympathetic, and somewhat at fault, from Hayley to her stepmother Trish, and even Andy himself. No one in this novel is perfect, and they all have taken steps to perpetuate, either willingly or unwillingly, to the problems that affect Andy and Hayley's home life. Yet, the reader understands why. They are all dealing with an impossible situation that has little to no help outside of the VA. This makes for a book that can be greatly debated in classrooms and with lawmakers, about how much and in what ways should we help those who are struggling with those soldiers coming home from deployment.

This takes me to the characters. One negative I have heard about is Hayley herself. Some say that she is simply too judgemental to be a relatable character, often judging her classmates, teachers, friends and family, as somehow out to get her. However, this is where I sympathize with her. She is trying to deal with an impossible situation at home, and she has to do anything she can to cope. If that means being judgemental to other people she barely knows, then so be it. I did not like it, but that was a way for her to change in the novel. We see her and her stepmother clash in this novel, and Hayley comes to respect her for trying to help her and her father. Hayley and Finn's relationship, like for Hayley herself, was one of the standout enjoyable parts of the novel. Their chemistry made me enjoy them and had me laughing at times. Another element I enjoyed was how everyone seemed to have problems in this book, and they were all written well, with none of them being written off for cheap drama, nor as a substitute for problems strictly with Hayley. They all are given the gravity they deserve, so that when the characters naturally confront each other over them, their conflict is understood, and when the relationships either decompose, or strengthen over the course of the novel, we the reader understand why and can find it interesting to read about,

It took me about two days to read this book, but I know that this is one that will stick with me for a long time. I know that this is going to be on my Top Ten books of 2017, if that tells you anything. If I were to recommend any Anderson book to you, Speak would be my first choice, but this is an extremely close second. I give it a five out of five.