Author: Jennifer Brown
Genre: Realistic/ Teen Fiction
Comments: The Hate List is about a senior in high-school named Valerie Leftman. Valerie views herself as a social outcast, one who never is accepted by her Gavin High School peers. Yet this changes when Valerie meets Nick Levil in middle school. Valerie believes she has finally found someone who can understand the way she feels, and she a Nick become friends and the later start a relationship. With Nick's darker side influencing Valerie they start to realize they share the same anger. Together the create the Hate List in a red notebook, in this list they write down all the people and things they hate. Valerie sees it at first as a joke, or a way to connect with Nick, until things take a turn for the more serious. Nick begins to become more darker, talks more of death, suicide, homicide, and starts hanging around Jeremy, a friend Valerie has never met but is known for trouble. Yet on the morning of May 2, 2008 Valerie sits on the school bus when a member of the Hate List known as Christy breaks her mp3. Angry and hurt, Valerie is comforted when Nick says he will "teach her a lesson". But Valerie sees it as a joke and doesn't know what is to really happen. When Nick goes to confront Christy he pulls a gun on her and shoots her. He then proceeds to go around the school to shoot people specifically from the Hate List. When Valerie realizes what is happening she runs to go stop him and locates him just as he is standing over one of Valerie's enemies Jessica Campbell. Without thinking Valerie throws herself between Jessica and Nick, getting shot in the leg. After this Nick then shoots himself. When Valerie wakes up in hospital she must go on with love, trying to get over the love she lost while trying to forgive him at the same time. But also trying to have everyone around her forgive her as well, because Valerie's true intention was never for anyone to die.
I liked the Hate List because it was different from other books, instead of talking about one of the victims who was completely innocent or Nick who was the shooter. It talked about Valerie, who was part villain, monster but also victim, innocent. It told her story about having to come to terms with the facts and replacing herself back into society. I also enjoyed how this book was written, with flashbacks cutting into the book of the day of the shooting.
I would recommend this book to people who enjoyed, Before I Die by Jenny Downham or 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
This sounds like a very interesting book. I think it's cool how authors now try to write books about friendships and try to put themselves in a mid of how "social outcasts" think when they are in high school, but also connect it with what cruel and very tragic things may lead from that. (murder)
ReplyDeleteThank you for that excellent review Maria!
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