SAVE YOURSELF has the narrative flair of Gillian Flynn and Adam Ross, the scruffy appeal of Donald Ray Pollock, and the addictiveness of Breaking Bad.
Patrick Cusimano is in a bad way. His father is in jail, he works the midnight shift at a grubby convenience store, and his brother's girlfriend, Caro, has taken their friendship to an uncomfortable new level. On top of all that, he can't quite shake the attentions of Layla Elshere, a goth teenager who befriends Patrick for reasons he doesn't understand and doesn't fully trust. The temptations these two women offer are pushing him to his breaking point.
Meanwhile, Layla's little sister, Verna, is suffering through her first year of high school. She's become a prime target for her cruel classmates, not just because of her strange name and her fundamentalist parents: Layla's bad-girl rep proves to be too huge a shadow for Verna, so she falls in with her sister's circle of outcasts and misfits whose world is far darker than she ever imagined.
Kelly Braffet's characters, indelibly portrayed and richly varied, are all on their own twisted paths to finding peace. The result is a novel of unnerving power-darkly compelling, addictively written, and shockingly honest.
I really loved the book. I mean, I LOVED IT. the story of Patrick.. I didnt know what I was expecting about this book, but judging by the cover and the argument, I knew it was going to be good, so I asked to review it. and they didnt let me down! I personally lived Verna's story. I was bullied my freshman year as well so I really focused on Layla.. she's a goth teen who befriends with Patrick for no reasons... This book is kind of personal for me.. I know what is like to have your parent in jail for driving while drunk, I know what is like to be bullied and I know what is like to be in hell.. If you picture it like that, its like a part of my story with different characters..
You really have to read this book! Best book I've read all summer.
Patrick Cusimano is in a bad way. His father is in jail, he works the midnight shift at a grubby convenience store, and his brother's girlfriend, Caro, has taken their friendship to an uncomfortable new level. On top of all that, he can't quite shake the attentions of Layla Elshere, a goth teenager who befriends Patrick for reasons he doesn't understand and doesn't fully trust. The temptations these two women offer are pushing him to his breaking point.
Meanwhile, Layla's little sister, Verna, is suffering through her first year of high school. She's become a prime target for her cruel classmates, not just because of her strange name and her fundamentalist parents: Layla's bad-girl rep proves to be too huge a shadow for Verna, so she falls in with her sister's circle of outcasts and misfits whose world is far darker than she ever imagined.
Kelly Braffet's characters, indelibly portrayed and richly varied, are all on their own twisted paths to finding peace. The result is a novel of unnerving power-darkly compelling, addictively written, and shockingly honest.
I really loved the book. I mean, I LOVED IT. the story of Patrick.. I didnt know what I was expecting about this book, but judging by the cover and the argument, I knew it was going to be good, so I asked to review it. and they didnt let me down! I personally lived Verna's story. I was bullied my freshman year as well so I really focused on Layla.. she's a goth teen who befriends with Patrick for no reasons... This book is kind of personal for me.. I know what is like to have your parent in jail for driving while drunk, I know what is like to be bullied and I know what is like to be in hell.. If you picture it like that, its like a part of my story with different characters..
You really have to read this book! Best book I've read all summer.