Review: The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

Title: The Impossible Knife of Memory
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Publication date: January 7th, 2014

Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary)

Source: Publisher

Format: ARC

Pages: 372

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For the past five years, Hayley Kincaid and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.

Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over? The Impossible Knife of Memory is Laurie Halse Anderson at her finest: compelling, surprising, and impossible to put down.

Laurie Halse Anderson has done it again. This woman just never fails to leave me speechless after finishing a book that she has written. Wintergirls being one of my favorite books I have read, The Impossible Knife of Memory is also making its way to my favorites list. It was interesting and different, for me at least, to see the main protagonist  actually be a typical teenager. Other than this book, I have only read Speak and Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, both in which the characters voice is very... quiet? I'm not sure that's the right word, but they've never been full of sarcasm and all. Anyways, Hayley is the main protagonist in this book. Hayley has been moving from place to place with her father, and never settling in one place. When her father decides he wants to live back in his hometown, so that Hayley can attend school and have a normal life, things start to change. 

I obviously don't want to give out too much information, but let me tell you, this book will give you LOTS of feels! Hayley was such a wonderful character! She didn't really stand out to me at first, but as I got to know her better, I really started to love her! She is struggling with so much, and I can't even believe that she is able to handle all of that and is able to smile later on. Never having attended school before, it is a struggle for her. I liked seeing her friends, and Finn was a great addition to the book. It's a first to see a relationship in a Laurie Halse Anderson book for me, and I really enjoyed it. The dad! OH MY GOD! Sometimes, I literally felt like killing the dad. Hayley's dad is struggling with nightmares, and his time at war has had a major impact in him. It was heartbreaking to see how much it had affected him, and it was tougher to see Hayley deal with it. 

I have to admit, it got kind of boring in the middle. I still kept on reading though because it had a promising beginning. I am SO thankful that it ended with a BANG! The last hundred pages or so were just SO intense I could NOT put it down! I spend the last thirty minutes of New Year's Eve reading it and crying my eyes out! Then I knew, this had to be an all time favorite. Those last hundred pages just changed everything, and my love for the book just grew more and more. I definitely would recommend this book to all realistic fiction/contemporary readers! Fans of Laurie Halse Anderson, fear no more, because this will NOT be a disappointment!

My love for this book is infinite

Other books by Laurie Halse Anderson:

Wintergirls