Review: Cracked by KM Walton
Title: Cracked
Hardcover, 311 pages
Author: KM Walton
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: January 3, 2012
Source: Author
Buy: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads
Book Summary:
Sometimes there’s no easy way out.
Victor hates his life. He has no friends, gets beaten up at school, and his parents are always criticizing him. Tired of feeling miserable, Victor takes a bottle of his mother’s sleeping pills—only to wake up in the hospital.
Bull is angry, and takes all of his rage out on Victor. That makes him feel better, at least a little. But it doesn’t stop Bull’s grandfather from getting drunk and hitting him. So Bull tries to defend himself with a loaded gun.
When Victor and Bull end up as roommates in the same psych ward, there’s no way to escape each other or their problems. Which means things are going to get worse—much worse—before they get better…
Review:
It’s a debutttttt!
CRACKED is a victim/bully story that largely takes place in a psych ward. Victor is a very unhappy teenager, largely due to the way that Bull treats him at school. (As I’m typing this I’m realizing that Victor=victim and Bull=bully, odd!) Victor takes a bunch of pills and ends up at the hospital…
…where he’s put in a room with Bull. Bull is in the hospital under different circumstances – he comes from a very broken home (where he is a victim) and finds himself in a position that has everyone assuming he has tried to end his life.
CRACKED is a highly emotional read. I have read a few books that take place in psych wards where I haven’t connected with the characters, but this was not the case at all with CRACKED. KM Walton does an excellent job with both Victor and Bully’s backstories, and when they are forced together you are so invested in their future that your emotions get wrapped up, too.
I am most happy that CRACKED doesn’t follow typical psych ward plot lines. It’s not two adversaries meeting in an unexpected place who work out their differences instantly – it is a very realistic, emotional (did I say that yet) book. Great debut!
Twitter: heylisarenee
I totally feared this because of the stereotype I have for psych ward settings – which is that the story is greater than the characters and the resolution is too perfect.
SO glad to hear that’s not the case with this one! The characters are emotionally deep and realistic. Huzzah!
Lisa recently posted..TBR Tuesday [16]
Twitter: hobbitsies
I wasn’t sure if I was going to read Cracked, just because it’s not something I’ve really been in the mood for lately, but your review definitely makes me want to check out. It’s nice to hear that it’s realistic, too. Thank youuuuuu for the push.
(That name thing is kind of really cool, actually!)
Tara @ Hobbitsies recently posted..Waiting on Wednesday: The Lost Girl
Twitter: BookwormAsheley
I’ve never read a book with a psych ward setting so I have nothing to compare this one to like Lisa @heylisarenee. But as I am beefing up my contemps this year, I think I might would consider this one based on your thoughts. If I’m being honest here though, and I totally am, I would not have picked it up based on the cover – which is completely shallow of me. But I totally judge books on covers and I can admit to that. So I’m glad I came across this blog post, because it is the first I’ve seen for this book. If I see it, I’d probably read it now and check it out. Thanks Shanyn. ;)
Asheley (@BookwormAsheley) recently posted..My Thoughts On: Illuminate by Aimee Agresti
HOORAY to so many things in your comment! Mostly the more contemp thing :) I judge books by their covers to some extent, too – sad to say, but there are so many books and it’s an easy way to weed some out :\ But, I am always open to reviews and will read a bad cover book if someone says I should :)