Impulse

(R, PSN)
What: Impulse, by Ellen Hopkins
Price: $9.99
Where to find it: Barnes & Noble
Why you’ll like it: A story of finding yourself and moving forward from tragedy

Everyone has their secrets, whether they are in your family, your friend circle, or your mind. There are secrets that we would go to the grave with, and for some, that grave is approaching fast; some secrets are enough to drive people to do the unthinkable, like commit suicide and end whatever pain they feel, whatever demons they can no longer stand.
The New York Times bestseller, “Impulse”, by Ellen Hopkins, though a very thick volume, is an amazing book that almost anyone can relate to.
“Impulse” is the amazing story of Connor, Tony, and Vanessa. Connor, the All- American boy whose life is seemingly perfect, struggles with familial problems and a forbidden love affair that causes him to turn to gun and bullet. Tony, whose life took a nasty turn at the early age of eight, has struggled with everything from drugs to sex while also living with the hard reality of being gay and living on the streets. And then there is Vanessa, a girl who has inherited her mother’s bipolarity and manic- depression. While her father is away fighting in Afghanistan, the mood swings become so intense that she turns to a dangerous escape.
In the middle of their attempts, fate intervenes and brings all of them to Aspen Springs, a rehabilitation and therapy center for kids with similar problems.
Hopkins takes the reader through each of their journeys to recovery as each character tells their story. The book is written entirely in poetry form and switches points of view every couple of pages.
The unusual form does not diminish Hopkins’s beautiful writing as she tries, and succeeds, in explaining the unexplainable to every kind of person.
Hopkins does an excellent job of capturing the ugly side of what teens go through, exploring drug and sex addictions, self- mutilation, and many other problems that modern society faces every day.
“Impulse” is definitely a page- turner that keeps readers on the edges of their seats and I recommend this book for anyone who likes a story of falling down, getting back up, brushing yourself off, and succeeding.