Willow
Books | Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Death, Grief, Bereavement
4.1
(640)
Julia Hoban
Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen-year- old Willow's parents drank too much wine and asked her to drive them home. They never made it. Willow lost control of the car and her parents died in the accident. Now she has left behind her old home, friends, and school, and blocks the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when Willow meets Guy, a boy as sensitive and complicated as she is, she begins an intense, life-changing relationship that turns her world upside down.Told in an arresting, fresh voice, Willow is an unforgettable novel about one girl's struggle to cope with tragedy, and one boy's refusal to give up on her.
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Author
Julia Hoban
Pages
336
Publisher
Penguin
Published Date
2010-02-23
ISBN
1101195770 9781101195772
Ratings
Google: 4.5
Community ReviewsSee all
"I knew when I first got this, it would be a hard one to read. The subject matter is far from fluffy bunnies and rainbows. It's a very real and very serious subject. A subject I can relate to. I've read other books or seen made for TV movies on the subject and I think this is one of the better stories out there. It isn't a story that makes Willow out to be a gothic teen with troubles that aren't really all that bad. She's not a teenage girl seeking attention and turns to cutting to get the attention of a boy/her parents/siblings or anyone else. This was not a shallow attempt at poking fun of someone with a big problem. Instead, it takes a girl who is in such turmoil, in such a dark place and she can't deal with the pain, and more importantly, the guilt.<br/><br/>There is growth in this book. Of both Willow and Guy. Poor Guy. He is thrusted into a place where he can't possibly fathom the idea of cutting. All he knows is that he has to protect Willow. Willow is lucky to have someone who, despite not getting it, is willing to try to help her, even when she really doesn't want help. It's a great thing to see as he slowly helps her, saves her. Even better, is when you see Willow start to allow him to sav eher.<br/><br/>Willow makes a remark in this book. Totally accurate. She stumbles into the bathroom, needing a secret place to give into her dark urges, to see a few girls in the bathroom smoking. She makes a remark that both are illicit habits, only one is much more acceptable. Of all the things Willow could have turned to, cutting is the one that people would look down at her in disgust. In the eyes of society, it would have been better for her to turn into a drug addict. <br/><br/>The one thing I wanted to see, which would have given it 5 stars, is a better resolve of her problem. Cutting isn't something you stop overnight and I wouldn't expect to see that, but what I wanted to see is Willow to go to her brother, to make the steps possible to get better. I wanted to see her go to her family and get the help she needs. Most times I wouldn't care, but since Willow and her brother were both grieving (although in different ways) over the loss of their parents, it would have helped to have gone to her brother with this in the end. That is the scene I think is missing."
"I’ve read it before and I really liked and would read again "
L
Layne