Trouble: A memoir

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It was weird about consent. The line about ‘no-one can make me do anything. Least of all that’ fell squarely into victim-blaming territory. It was weird about promiscuity. It was sometimes ok for people to badmouth it and other times it wasn’t. Then we find out that Jay was the first guy Hannah slept with it and there was only what, two, others after. So she wasn’t actually that fond of sleeping around? And somehow that changed how people saw her situation? Idk it was weird. The side character friends were really enjoyable but not as developed as I'd have liked. I would have loved to see a scene where Hannah and Anj discussed their former friendship and falling out after she had that epiphany about how toxic her relationship with Katie had been compared to Anj However, with out spoiling it, I didn't like who the father turned out to be or how it was dealt with. Technically, Hannah falling pregnant at fifteen would be statutory rape, combine this with the father, would this realistically be ignored by the parents and not perused any further? There was, to my recollection, no mention of how the parents dealt with who the father was. For me, it took a book that could have been very realistic and made it less so.

He doesn't stand slut-shaming or any kind of agression against a girl, he reads a lot and he's so damn sweet to accpet being a fake father. So many threads come together spectacularly in the last quarter of the book -- at this point the book really hits it's stride and the emotion and gut-punches are real and beautiful and balanced with ache and belonging and horror and hope. And the ending was just fantastic (although I could happily have gone on reading what happens next...)My own interest in the Troubles stems from my family on my father’s side. My father grew up in the Ardoyne, the primarily Catholic area of north Belfast that was the epicentre of the strife. His father had been a member of the IRA, and although my dad left Belfast just as the Troubles were beginning, most of his family stayed, and throughout my youth the war in Ireland, as my father called it, dominated family discussions, especially when one of his brothers came from Belfast to stay with us.

Henry Smith is a student at a college prep school whose parents are well-off. Because of his love for his son, Henry's father attempts to protect Henry from life, often spending money to that effect, but of course, this doesn't stop life from afflicting Henry. One day, Franklin, Henry's older brother, gets hit by a car and hospitalized. The novel's action begins when Franklin arises from his coma, looks Henry straight in the eyes, mutters a single word, "Katahdin," and then dies. I liked the way this was shown to be not true. It’s a really big issue for teenage girls today, and it was explored so well, if you want to look for the themes. It's another really important message that I took away from this book, and I think if you're willing to think about it a bit, it's really educational. Also, Hannah's self esteem and self worth is not dictated by these disgusting men. She knows it isn’t true, and that’s one of the reasons why I love this book so much. The first let me see what the author was describing, the second is just a lovely way to say what is true. And comparing a book to a painting is a wonderful way to provide a visual image of what can be difficult to describe. Van Gogh's bright colors can still look freshly painted, but he never paints light without darkness, and this book is about learning to live with the darkness that is Trouble and discovering the light that is Grace. I liked the way the families were so supportive of their kids. There are so many YA books where kids are cut adfrift either emotionally or physically from their parents that to see multi-generational families being so close and loving was really great. I also liked that Hannah and Aaron’s relationship didn’t develop past friendship. We don’t see enough boy-girl friendships in YA lit and it’s a shame.This book made me cry in a coffee shop. Who would have thought that would happen with me. Brilliant book. Full review to come. :)