Impulse, by Ellen Hopkins

Tony, Conner, and Vanessa are all troubled children.  Though all three come from very different lives, each has a deep seated pain that they cannot ignore.  The pain drives them to act on certain impulses.  When all three end up in the same treatment center at the same time, it seems as though it was destiny.  Can the three of them help each other heal, or will they only bring each other more pain?

Once again, a powerful book by Hopkins.  Some serious issues are examined in a way unlike any of her previous books I have read.  Issues like self mutilation, suicide, intense sexual relationships, mental illness, and various types of abuse.  I thought the book did a good job of weaving together the three different stories into one plot.  I felt like I really could connect with the characters, particularly that of Vanessa.

Having said all that, I think this was my least favorite book of Hopkins' so far.  I cannot exactly pinpoint why.  Perhaps it was the 3 highly different narrative voices, though she has done that in the past and I loved it.  I think that perhaps the novelty of a book in verse form has worn off a bit for me.  With the three narrative voices in the book cake three different verse styles, and I found myself focusing more on the verse styles and rhythms than the actual words and story itself.

Do not get me wrong, this is a good book, and I did like, just not as much as other books I have read by Hopkins.


This book is from my personal library.