one day, I simply couldn't put it down!
It is really a book pressure and coping with pressure: pressure from parents, pressure from peers, pressure from school and pressure from the law.
The story starts as Tyler Miller is
carrying out his punishment for something he calls the "Foul Deed".
However, Tyler finds a positive side to his punishment. Hard labor has turned his muscles
to steel. He no longer looks like the invisible "Nerd Boy" who gets bullied and
beaten up, attracting the attention of the beautiful and popular Bethany
Milbury.
But as school begins he finds himself struggling with the
pressure of school work and the pressure to do well and "keep his nose clean"
after his "Foul Deed".
His father is verbally abusive, strict and obsessed with work, appearing not to care much for his family which adds more pressure on Tyler. Add to this the pressure from his peers and the social
rejection he is recieving and the reader can really see how Tyler is struggling
to cope. Some people see him as a hero for becoming a bad boy while others shun
him.
And then he finds himself accused of taking advantage of Bethany at
a party. Everyone is convinced he did it because of his new found bad boy image.
He also broke his parole curfew by going to the party in the first place.
Tyler's only option is to try to repair the damage done to his
reputation. Either that or take the easy way out! The only people there for
Tyler throughout his ordeal is his sister, Hannah and his best friend, Yoda.
Tyler is a complex character. On the outside he seems to deal with life
just as well as everyone else but on the inside he is struggling.
Laurie Halse Anderson brilliantly captures the characters and deals with serious issues
beautifully but with humour which uplifts what would have otherwise been a
heavy, upsetting book.
She is an outstanding writer and her insight and
clarity into the issues that she has tackled in her books, and how she conveys
her characters, is nothing short of amazing.
As this is my second Halse Anderson book, I was concerned that Twisted would not be able to compete against her first book SPEAK. However, I was wrong. This book is just as
good!
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