Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn
When you’ve been kept caged in the dark, it’s impossible to see the forest for the trees. It’s impossible to see anything, really. Not without bars . . .Andrew Winston Winters is at war with himself.He’s part Win, the lonely teenager exiled to a remote Vermont boarding school in the wake of a family tragedy. The guy who shuts all his classmates out, no matter the cost.He’s part Drew, the angry young boy with violent impulses that control him. The boy who spent a fateful, long-ago summer with his brother and teenage cousins, only to endure a secret so monstrous it led three children to do the unthinkable.
Over the course of one night, while stuck at a party deep in the New England woods, Andrew battles both the pain of his past and the isolation of his present.Before the sun rises, he’ll either surrender his sanity to the wild darkness inside his mind or make peace with the most elemental of truths—that choosing to live can mean so much more than not dying.
I devoured this book as quickly as my life would allow time for reading. There was just something about the narration style and the way that you get absorbed by Drew/Win's story.
I was drawn to the idea that he really believed so strongly about the changes he felt were happening to him. At first I had no idea what this book was really going to be about, but I'm glad I was pulled into the story so easily because it really was quite an emotional adventure.
I felt for Win so much - always pushing everyone away yet still yearning for contact. He seemed afraid to let anyone in. I wanted to reach for him, hold him and tell him everything would be alright. Things were not his fault, but he felt the need to keep everyone at bay, almost like self punishment. Considering the horrifying things you finally find out that happened to his family and himself, I'm not surprised that he had some issues as a child and teen. Though I am surprised with some of the ways in which they manifest - very interesting choices for his coping with the issues.
His friends surprised me too. For some reason I felt like they would abandon him and leave him fighting these demons on his own. But they stepped up to the plate and stand by him through everything. Those are true friends - lifelong friends.
Honestly, if you are one who likes books involving stories on mental health, family crisis, and stories of overcoming life challenges then this book is for you. I am really looking forward to reading more by this author. This was extremely hard to write without giving away so many details... I hope you enjoy my review enough to pick this book up and find out more about Andrew and his story.
MY DREAM CASTAndrew/Drew/Win - Honestly, the person I can see playing Drew/Win is Ian Somerhalder. He has the dark mysterious look that I picture Win has and those eyes make you wonder what he is thinking. The messy hair just seems like Win's style - like he doesn't care what others think. And Ian has this ability to seem laidback and stoic all at the same time.Keith (Drew's older brother) - I picture him to look like Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He has this charm about him that reminds me of Keith when he is trying to look good around his cousins. He stands his ground on the things he believes in (reminds me of JGL's character in The Dark Knight Rises).
Jordan (a girl from Win's school) - I picture Grace Park (from Battlestar Galactica - Sharon "Boomer" Valerii/Sharon "Athena" Agathon) but with short hair. For some reason I just picture this person when I read the details of Jordan's looks.Lex (Win's previous roomate/friend) - I picture Seth Green for Lex's character, but mostly I picture him from the movie Can't Hardly Wait. The guy who thinks he is all that and trying to score with the chicks, but he is all talk. Tries to act like he is the big man on campus, but really he's just wanting a girlfriend and to have some good times with friends. He tries too hard.
Stephanie
Kuehn is a YA writer who grew up in
Berkeley, California, which is a quirky sort of a place with a ton of
wonderful bookstores. Her very first job was working in one of those
bookstores, and she's been a freakishly avid reader for as long as she
can remember.
Stephanie's
other passions include mental health advocacy, social justice, and
sports of all kinds. She's currently living in Northern California with
her family and their wild menagerie of pets.
Great review. Cool dream cast. Thanks for participating.
ReplyDeleteThanks. This was a great read.
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