Conner relates how he never had a close relationship with his mother, and was molested as a child by his nanny, Leona. Apart from the breakup with Emily, Conner's pain comes from his parents who are perfectionists and who expect nothing less than perfection from Conner. Over the following weeks, the three teenagers become friends with one another and they learn more about each other. Vanessa also secretly worries that she may have inherited her mother's psychotic tendencies. Tony attempted suicide by overdosing on Valium after the death of someone named Phillip and Vanessa has attempted suicide by cutting her wrists following a breakup with her boyfriend. Tony and Vanessa are two teenagers already in residence at Aspen Springs.

Conner has attempted suicide following his breakup with his girlfriend, Emily. The novel begins with Conner being admitted to Aspen Springs, a recovery hospital. Impulse simply should be available in all public collections.'Impulse' is a free verse novel by Ellen Hopkins and focuses on the recovery and second chance of three suicidal teenagers to make their lives right. Nothing else crosses the barrier between “normal” and not with such strength and odd beauty.

Few books are must-reads in the large scope of fiction, but for teens and even parents suffering from or seeking to support someone who struggles with these issues, Impulse is a must-read. It skips the clinical approach altogether and puts the reader directly into the characters’ heads, slowly revealing their lives, even as they themselves face up to the significance of things. But none that I’ve read have been as real as Impulse. There are an increasing number of books out there designed to help parents and teens understand and cope with the big, very real, problems that they face. It puts adults into the head space of serious teen suffering and offers teens a real, honest look at how addiction, parasitic relationships and mental disorders (like depression and bipolar disorder) work, washing it all with a message of sympathy and solidarity. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. The terrible story of how these three kids, who should be enjoying the last years of high school, ended up where they are, is boiled down to terse, powerful, images that will leave readers feeling scarred. While the book is large, 666 pages, it’s written in poetry form, so it’s a fast read. You can read all our reviews here.įloored, that’s how readers will feel even when they are only part of the way into this breathtaking tale of three teens admitted to a mental care center after each has attempted suicide. This review is part of ’s celebration of Banned Books Week.

Impulse by ellen hopkins series