34 Pieces of You is written by Carmen Rodrigues. This book's genres are young adult, contemporary, realistic fiction, and death.
Some facts about the author, Carmen.
She has a new book coming out in 2017 called The Universal Law of Sally & Marco. Sounds interesting!
She went to Florida State University but earned her MFA in creative writing from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
And honestly that is all I can find about her. She lived in Ohio for a short time and then moved to Miami.
Her favorite places to be are on the beach or in her bed which I can totally relate.
{" There was something about Ellie... something dangerous. Charismatic. Broken. Jake looked out for her. Sarah followed her lead. And Jess kept her distance, and kept watch.
Now Ellie's dead, and Jake, Sarah, and Jess are left to pick up the pieces. All they have are thirty-four clues she left behind. Thirty-four strips of paper hidden in a box beneath her bed. Thirty-four secrets of a brief and painful life.
Jake, Sarah, and Jess all feel responsible for what happened to Ellie, and all three have secrets of their own. As they confront the past, they will discover not only the darkest truths about themselves, but also what Ellie herself had been hiding all along..."}
I don't know where to begin. I loved so much about this book. I couldn't read it in one sitting even though I wanted to. I had to take breaks because this book really tugged at my heart strings. I cried so much during this book. I loved that I could relate to everyone one of the characters in even a small way. I myself have been suicidal in my life. I have cut my arms and legs. I am like Ellie very broken. I could really get into this book. This was an amazing book by far. It was dark and devastating.
{" It was as simple as telling you how it's done. Press harder. It'll hurt at first, but doesn't everything hurt at first? And didn't you say you wanted a tattoo one day? That will hurt too. Remember when I taught you to smoke? You coughed and you said your lungs ached. This will ache like that, only more. But you know what I didn't tell you? The thing that hurts the most is that my mom will never ask me why my arms are bandaged, why my forearms are covered in all this scarred flesh. And the other that hurts is that I know I'll never be able to press the whole way down. That I'll always be stuck wanting to push through but too afraid to try"}
I was happy that we got to see the thirty-four pieces of paper that she left in the box under her bed. There are thirty-four chapters and on each of the chapter is a little note. Until the end of the book I didn't know that those were the pieces of paper that she left. I was so excited that I reread all of them. They showed parts of Ellie that she hid from everyone else.
{" In the bathroom, with my hair still dripping wet, I'd devise a plan. First, towel-dry quickly. Second, put on underwear and declare that place safe. Next, tank top, sock, then pj's. Declare those places safe too. And then tiptoe to the bedroom, lock the door behind me, declare my room safe.
In the morning, try not to remember why."}
The fact the every other chapter was someone new and set somewhere new in a new time was interesting. I was excited to read what someone else said and what secrets they held. Jess was a really interesting character. Even though she was younger than the others she saw Ellie in a different way than everyone else did. She though that Ellie was capable of saving even though Ellie didn't. It broke my heart when Jess finds out that Ellie slept with Tommy and Jess and Ellie broke up because of it. Jess was young and innocent and I think that Ellie needed a little bit of innocence in her life.
{""I like you, Ellie." The words stayed stiffly between us, and I realized that this was there it ended. She only wanted me to admit it, so she could turn on me the way she turned on Lola.
But then she looked at me, her face softer than before, her voice nearly gentle, and said, "You're crying."
I swiped clumsily at my cheeks. embarrassed by my tears. "I'm sorry."
"Don't." She knelt in front of me, pulled my arms down to my sides. "Don't." She traced the tears downward until her fingers rested on my lips. "I'm such a bitch, and you're not. You're so incredibly kind.""}
Not much to dislike about this book. I did wish that I knew if Ellie meant to kill herself or if it was just an accident. Was she planning on ending it that night with her best friend by her side or was it just the pain overwhelming and she took more than she meant to? We have no idea and maybe that is what the author want. She wants us to conclude for ourselves whether we think did it on purpose or not. I think she did. She wore what Jess got her so she could have a piece of her when she died I think. She already had Sarah with her and she called Jake earlier. But I hate that I don't have a real answer on whether or not it was on purpose. It's gonna drive me crazy.
{" And so she began to talk about that night, how Ellie didn't seem like herself, how she seemed incredibly sad but also determined to pretend she was happy. "If I'd known everything, I'd have never let her near those pills. But I didn't know, you know? I just..." Her voice faded. She was crying, but she continued on, and near the end she told me about the hot-pink fishnet stockings Ellie had worn that night.
The stocking were my only gift to Ellie, and I remembered how surprised she'd been when I'd handed her the small box with its purple ribbon, and how she'd put them on immediately and in a mater of minutes picked them apart, exposing both her knees."}
Although I loved hearing from all three characters I would have loved to have Ellie perspective. Understanding things from the way she was feelings instead of what other people though she was feeling. It would have been depressing but revealing to know what Ellie was thinking when she took the pills.
Once again I like knowing what the others were thinking but when it jumped timelines like 5 years before when they just met and then the next chapter what months after Ellie killed herself. It was very confusing and hard to catch up with sometimes. I wish there was sort of timeline to go by instead of just "After. March" or "Before. June.". Super confusing but still loved the book!
If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression please do not hesitate to email or get help from various other places. I am going to post them below.
http://www.teencentral.net/ is a place online where you can go and post there anonymously and talk to others about what is bothering you.
By calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255) you will be connected to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area, anytime 24/7.
_Fantastic Fiction_
No comments:
Post a Comment