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| The Serpent King, by Jeff Zentner |
Dill is no stranger to hardship. He's dirt poor, financially supporting his mother, and seems to have zero future prospects. His father, a snake-handling preacher, is in prison; many of his former parishioners blame Dill. Yet Dill has two things that keep him getting up in the morning - his friends Travis and Lydia. The three are strikingly different but are pushed together by their mutual status as social outcasts.
This is a story about friendship, futures, and fighting. It's the first book in a long time that's made me just start bawling - I generally avoid crying if I can, but this book deserved a good cry. It was that moving. I didn't just feel for Dill and his friends, I felt with them - which is saying a lot since I personally have not experienced most of the hardships that Dill and his friends were going through.
The characterization and mood of this book were what made it amazing. The characters were real. They were flawed. They got angry for stupid reasons or were sometimes bossy and blind to the needs of others. Yet they were perfect. They were just what good friends should be. They knew how to love, how to inspire, how to live. The mood of the book was remarkably well-kept. It somehow mixed the darkness of hardship with the light of an amazing friendship.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anybody who likes gritty teen realism. Personally, I volunteer for a texting crisis hotline for teenagers, and I find reading books like these helps me to better relate to the teens that text in. I am currently collecting books that I think would either be good to recommend to troubled teens, or help others in the crisis center to empathize with teens in crisis. I consider this an important collection, and carefully think about each book that I include. This one is a definite yes. Issues that I consider important in this book - religious extremism (and how it impacts youths), family members in prison, bullying, grief, mental illness, and coping mechanisms.
This book has amassed excellent reviews by lovers of YA genre.
ReplyDeleteImpressed that a debut novel has generated such a buzz.
Question: Where did you find this book? Word of mouth...for your studies... or just by chance?
I discovered it on NetGalley. I try to keep track of what the big publishers are putting out
ReplyDeleteI never look at NetGallery...will have to take a peek!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's a great way to find out what books are coming up soon. Of course, if you watch the book blogs you know anyway. :)
ReplyDeleteGritty is definitely a word that I avoid when picking up a book, so I'll probably be passing on this one, but I'm glad you enjoyed it. I've realized recently that books that make me cry are often some of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteI've never been a fan of crying during books, but I'm starting to get used to it. I recognize that if a book is able to make you cry then it did a good job of attaching you to the plot/characters.
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