Customer Reviews

Impulse

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Three troubled teens cross paths at Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital, after attempting suicide. Connor, Tony, and Vanessa all have demons that try to pull them under and get them to succumb to the temptation to try it again; this time making sure they succeed.

Connor's overbearing family, only concerned about his GPA, or his making the varsity football team, or getting into an Ivy League college, offer no solace during his time of need. Feeling suicide is the only answer after a deeply emotional love affair ends, he takes a gun and points it to his chest before pulling the trigger.

Tony, after many years in a juvenile home for a crime that still haunts him, decides to ease his feelings of despair and loneliness by swallowing a handful of pills, only to vomit them up and be found by the police lying on the sidewalk unconscious.

Vanessa is a cutter. In order to ease her mind in any time of stress she slices her skin with anything sharp enough to do the job. One day, when she was drowning in her blue ocean of sadness, she cuts too deep. She feels herself slipping into the abyss until her younger brother, Bryan, walks in and finds her. When he calls for their ex-nurse Grandma, she is able to hold off death.

After arriving at Aspen Springs, Connor, Tony, and Vanessa are introduced to a life under constant surveillance, strict routines, and hours and hours or counseling. Immediately the three form a bond, feeling drawn to one another as if they might be able to save each other from death. Together they navigate the regulations of the hospital and make progress toward healing as they tell each other their deepest, darkest secrets; things they won't even tell their counselors.

Ellen Hopkins uses her wonderful free verse style to weave together the story of three troubled teens as they attempt to heal the terrible scars left by their lives. The consistency the author uses when alternating the points of view makes the story easy to follow. Hopkins gives away just enough information that the reader feels a part of the story while still saving a big bang for the end. IMPULSE is a great story that reveals the importance of family during the healing process and is a must read for anyone who knows a teen.

Reviewed by: Karin Perry

The new novel "Impulse" is a story written by author Ellen Hopkins (Burned, Crank). It is told in 3 different view points of three teens who were placed in a psychiatric ward called Aspen Springs. All 3 suffer their own individual hardships and adversity.

Vanessa cuts herself to relieve guilt and to match the pain she feels on the inside. Tony suffered sexual abuse from his mother's boyfriend and grew up without a father. Conner has exacting parents who think about nothing but perfection, and has a secret love affair. The three quickly bond, both boys being intrigued by Vanessa. Together they spill their secrets and learn to love, something none of them knew much about.

The story is written in a free-verse style, with all 3 points of view from Vanessa, Conner, and Tony. The free-verse style makes the pages short and to the point, but allows for wonderful imagery. Since it's not a complete page of someone telling a story, it could keep the non-reader reading. The 3 POV's allows the weaving of their lives. You see things through all three's eyes, which gives the reader much more insight than through just one's.

Another cool thing about the novel is how nothing is entirely revealed right at first, and even when it is it doesn't just come out and say it. The three teens' secrets come out gradually and well-spaced throughout the novel. It leaves you guessing, which is good for the reader who likes to make inferences.

The realism of the story is definitely pleasing. How their lives were affected by their childhood's and the adults who played a part in them was all too real. The story showed that teenagers' lives aren't so great, despite the facade they put up. For example, Conner seems like he has it all; rich parents, good grades, and athletic ability. But at times he can be just as insecure as Tony, who didn't have a father and was unsure of his sexuality. Vanessa's mom was bi-polar with a bit of schizophrenia, and she most likely inherited it. Her dad was almost always away in the war. Despite how different their lives were, the story showed just how much alike they could be.

Overall, I would recommend this book to any teenager about 14 and up. Some of the subject matter may be too mature for ages younger. Plenty of teens will find that they can relate to one or all three of the main characters. Oh, and if the book impacts you any at all, then don't be surprised if you're choking back tears when you finish. It seems like a long book, but once you start reading, the pages will fly by and you'll find yourself immersed in it. "Impulse" was a very enjoyable, very real read.

She's read everything so far by this author and is very impressed by her writing and her books. She read it straight through, and she's not a big fan of reading! But she was fascinated by this story and its characters.

Tony, Conner, and Vanessa are all troubled children. Though all three come from very different lives, each has a deep seated pain that they cannot ignore. The pain drives them to act on certain impulses. When all three end up in the same treatment center at the same time, it seems as though it was destiny. Can the three of them help each other heal, or will they only bring each other more pain?

Once again, a powerful book by Hopkins. Some serious issues are examined in a way unlike any of her previous books I have read. Issues like self mutilation, suicide, intense sexual relationships, mental illness, and various types of abuse. I thought the book did a good job of weaving together the three different stories into one plot. I felt like I really could connect with the characters, particularly that of Vanessa.

Having said all that, I think this was my least favorite book of Hopkins' so far. I cannot exactly pinpoint why. Perhaps it was the 3 highly different narrative voices, though she has done that in the past and I loved it. I think that perhaps the novelty of a book in verse form has worn off a bit for me. With the three narrative voices in the book cake three different verse styles, and I found myself focusing more on the verse styles and rhythms than the actual words and story itself.

Do not get me wrong, this is a good book, and I did like, just not as much as other books I have read by Hopkins.

"Impulse" is not an easy book to read. The plot is rather dark: three teenagers find themselves at the same psychiatric clinic after failed suicide attempts. Vanessa slit her wrist a little too deep during her "routine" cutting experiment. Conner tried to shoot himself in the chest. Tony overdosed on pills. The reasons seem to be typical - Vanessa suffers from bipolar disorder and cutting is her only way to get her mood swings under control. Conner is going through a severe case of heartbreak after his relationship with his girlfriend is over. Toni is an addict who sells his body for drugs. But as the story progresses, the lives and experiences of these teenagers unfold in front of our eyes and we learn that there are much deeper reasons for these kids to desire to end their lives.

The only reason I picked up this book was because I needed to read something in verse for my reading challenge. I am not a big fan of poetry, so my expectations were rather low. But as soon as I opened the book and read the first lines, I was hooked. The writing is so vivid and emotionally charged, I couldn't keep the story out of my head. I've read stories about similar subject matter in the past, but this book was by far the most memorable for me. I guess verse just adds even more impact to the narration as it skims over unnecessary details and focuses on raw emotion.

I will definitely read more of Hopkins in future, maybe after taking a good long break from "Impulse," I need some time to settle my mind...

Vanessa, Tony, and Connor seem to only have one thing in common: they've each tried to commit suicide, and their failure to die has landed them in rehab. They strike an unlikely friendship, and somehow, begin to open up slowly to one another. For Vanessa, it's the pain of her mentally ill mother, absent soldier father, and the guilt of an unforgivable act that drove her to pick up her razor blade. Tony tries to escape the memories of abuse, neglect, and the loss of the one person who ever truly accepted him in handfuls of drugs. Connor's attempt at suicide was preceded by a lifetime of cold, distant, yet demanding parents and a forbidden relationship that ended badly. Amid all of these problems and unresolved issues, will their friendship and newfound understanding in each other be enough to save these three teens from death?

Impulse is yet another stellar, tragically beautiful book by Ellen Hopkins. Hopkins plays with the reader's emotions from the very beginning, shaping three authentic and painfully sympathetic characters in their sorrows and small triumphs. Their stories and voices are raw and realistic, and Hopkins' poetry is so precise and so affecting. Despite their differences, the characters go through so many of the same emotions and feelings, and their progress is fascinating to observe. The push and pull between saying too much aloud and not revealing too many feelings, healing and wanting to remain broken, is strong and tangible. The portrayal of what life is like in this home for these teens is so well done--it's too scary, gritty, and raw to not be real. Despite all of the suffering, the despicable characters, and painful experiences, Hopkins does make you believe that a somewhat happy ending is possible...until a terrible, tragic, yet oddly appropriate ending. Impulse is devastating, yet oddly hopeful, and should be required reading for all teens.

This book was a quick read because I couldn't put it down. Fascinating glimpse into the minds of adolescents with mental health issues. Written in clever prose, it pulls you along between the intertwined stories and peeks at the impact families have on their disorders...which makes all the difference at times in recovery.

I only recently learned of this author from my book-nook cousin--who knows I have a penchant for teen reads--but also, feisty and original story-telling. Little did I know I would get both in this and one other read (BURNED) from this highly original writer.

Firstly, I like what she is doing here. No baloney, straight facts from the shadows of adolescence without all the nonsense we get in these vampire stories and the usual stuff of teen fiction. Yes, there are some weaknesses--but they are slight. Hopkins nails it as far as getting into the skin of teenage reality and I wish more knew about her instead of the over-touted Stephanie Meyers and Suzanne Collins. Don't get me wrong, there are definite merits to these authors, to be sure, but what I love about Hopkins is her nerve to get real. And the verse aspect is so fascinating.

In the age of so much media, of a reality depicted in pixels and constant imaging, it is refreshing to see that there is someone saying to teens: " I understand where you are. Where you truly are inside of yourself. And the reality that you are living".

I highly recommend and applaud this author and look forward to reading more.

A book told with fantastic insight. Besides emotionaly connecting you with the chatacters, you are also introduced into the much debated world of mental illness and the debate over pharmaceuticals. Great read!

This is my favorite book of all time. The story is absolutely fantastic. The three teens who are in this story really touch on what it's like to be a teenager today. It probably helped me through some of my most difficult times. I read this book when I was 15, and I'm 18 now. That book has stayed with me for years. Now I even have a tattoo with the sentence on the last page.
This is a must read for teens with depression. It will lift you and make you feel like your not so alone.