Crash into Me [Hardcover]

Albert Borris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 7, 2009

Owen, Frank, Audrey, and Jin-Ae have one thing in common: they all want to die. When they meet online after each attempts suicide and fails, the four teens make a deadly pact: they will escape together on a summer road trip to visit the graves of celebrity suicides . . . and at their final destination, they will each end their lives. As they drive cross-country, bonding over their dark impulses, sharing their deepest secrets and desires, living it up, hooking up, and becoming true friends, each must decide whether life is worth living—or if there’s no turning back.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—Introverted Owen, brash confabulator Audrey, struggling lesbian Jin-Ae, and alcoholic Frank don't seem to have much in common, but they bond online over a shared interest: to commit suicide. Some of them have already made repeated attempts, and now they make a pact. They take a cross-country road trip from New Jersey, visiting the graves of famous people who have killed themselves, that will culminate at Death Valley. There, they will take their own lives—no backing down, no changes of heart. But as they crisscross the states, these isolated, unhappy teens begin to connect over more than just their desire to die; as they share their darkest secrets and most cherished wishes, real friendship and even romantic love develop. As the end of their trip grows closer, the time comes to decide: Is life worth living in spite of the pain, or do they keep their deadly promise? Borris's understanding of the emotional lives of teenagers shines through in his nuanced, well-developed portrayals of the protagonists, particularly Owen, the narrator, who emerges as a wry and wise observer of his companions. The action never feels pat or predetermined, and the author's depiction of the complexities of depression and suicide is compassionate, nonjudgmental, and ultimately hopeful. This first novel is a gripping addition to YA collections.—Meredith Robbins, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School, New York City
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Review

"The ultimate heartbreaking, poignant road trip to a place you never thought you'd go." --Todd Strasser, bestselling author of Give a Boy a Gun

"Crash Into Me puts readers in the driver's seat with four teens teetering on the edge of suicide. But will their cross country odyssey push them all the way over? Only the final page turn will tell, in Albert Borris's finely-crafted tale of friendship forged from a desperate need of connection. An exceptional first novel." -- Ellen Hopkins, bestselling author of Crank

"Borris nimbly juggles sharp, at times even jagged humor with genuine poignancy to construct a road trip that rises above the formula. Characters are particularly well limned . . . The book doesn't overdo the stealthy message of hope; sentiment is balanced out with the macabrely humorous lists the group concocts ('Top Ten Celebrity Death Sites') and refreshingly credible transcripts of their online chats."

--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, January 2010

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (July 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416974350
• ISBN-13: 978-1416974352
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,117,058 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Startling and absorbing, July 5, 2009

By 

The Compulsive Reader (Big Rapids, MI, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Crash into Me (Hardcover)

Owen can't remember a time in his life when he was truly happy. Ever since his brother's death when we was seven, his life has been dull, lonely, and slow, punctuated by numerous suicide attempts. After his latest attempt, he makes three new friends--Frank, Jin-Ae, and Audrey. The four of them make a suicide pact--they will take a cross country road trip from New Jersey to Death Valley, visiting the graves of famous people who committed suicide, and at the end of the line, they'll all end their lives together.

Crash into Me is an arresting and surprising read that takes readers into the lives of these four teens, and reveals their complex emotions and those events in their lives that have led them to the end of their ropes. Though the premise is quite serious and thought provoking, Borris infuses the novel with surprising bits of humor, making Crash into Me an enjoyable and realistic read with a sardonic edge. Inclusion of alcohol and drugs is to be expected, but is done tastefully, revealing the thought that went into each character. The novel is told through Owen's eyes, and his character is developed through a series of online chats, top ten lists, recollections of the past, and his time quietly observing the present. The alternating modes of character disclosure build suspense throughout the book, causing readers to seriously ponder the outcome of the road trip--but Borris keeps you guessing until the very end. This is a novel of desperation and loneliness, and of the strong compulsion that humankind has to attempt to make connections. Unexpected, heartbreaking, and raw, Crash into Me takes readers on a car trip they'll never forget.

Cover Comments: I think that the cover really conveys the tension and the emotion of the novel, and the darker colors and hues used jive with the darker subject and all of the secrets this book contains. I also like the snake tattoo--it has significance in the book! Overall, this is a very good cover.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book, July 9, 2009

By 

Jude2004 "Jude" (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crash into Me (Hardcover)

I read this book because I wanted to see if I should add it to my high school library. I've been suicidal most of my life, so I wanted to see if it the author got it right, and he did. The writing is beautiful (and unlike Hunger Games, it has only *one* typo, so it's even copy-edited well). I frequently skip to the end of a book to find out what happens, but I didn't feel compelled to do that here. Read it, review it--I'm sure many of you are more eloquent than I am. I'm grateful to have a young adult novel that I can recommend to students who either don't understand why someone would be suicidal or are suicidal themselves.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not What I was Excepting, February 6, 2010

By 

Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf (PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crash into Me (Hardcover)

Going into Crash Into Me, I wasn't sure if I would like it or not. Since, on one side, different teen authors have been raving non stop about this book, while bloggers have had a less cheerful response. Sadly, I'm on the bloggers side about this, Crash Into Me wasn't that good.

While it has an interesting premise ( four teens on a suicide pack road trip) it failed to bring three dimensional characters and a solid plot to the table. Sometimes, I felt like the the plot just wondered around aimlessly leaving me to loose hope at the thought of this becoming good. Also, while you got to the know the characters a bit, you really didn't understand their thoughts and feelings, because Albert tended to just tell a one sided plot, one that stopped at the surface.

The one thing I did enjoy about this novel, was the writing methods Albert incorporated into the plot. For example, there was IM messages and lists which almost always got my attention. Though, the narrative part was kind of bland and flat mostly because of the lackluster plot and characters.

Overall, Crash Into Me really isn't a book I would recommend. Since while this novel seems interesting on the surface, when you start to read it, it just falls to the side and unravels. Plus, the ending kind of felt like it called for a better conclusion to this novel.

Grade: D