For me, this novel struck a deep chord. The main character, Kirk, was one who, though flawed in a very real sense, and hurting enough to hurt others profoundly, dredged up great sympathy. There is lots of violence and emotion in this book, but it's not so far from what many teens experience these days. Even though most teens (hopefully) won't see a school shooting of this magnitude, they may encounter bullying situations that could escalate to this point, and for this reason I'd recommend Perfect Forgiveness. Teens may come away from it with ideas of how to help bullied kids in their school, or how to spot warning signs that someone is at his or her breaking point.
I see this author's skills improving with each novel. I look forward to Cilimberg's next installment!
