Crash Into Me by Albert Borris Publisher: Simon Pulse (July 21st, 2009) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardcover: 257 pages Source: Author Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Owen, Frank, Audrey, and Jin-Ae have one thing in common: they all want to die. When they meet online after each attempts suicide and fails, the four teens make a deadly pact: they will escape together on a summer road trip to visit the sites of celebrity suicides… and at their final destination, they will all end their lives. As they drive cross-country, bonding over their dark impulses, sharing their deepest secrets and desires, living it up, hooking up, and becoming true friends, each must decide whether life is worth living--or if there's no turning back. Review: This is the heartbreaking story of 4 teenagers who are brought together by one thing; they each want to die. They start out talking through IM chats and get the idea to visit celebrity suicide sites and end their own lives at their last stop, Death Valley. Crash Into Me is from the perspective of Owen; a quiet boy who is hiding a lot of painful memories. Frank is the"sporty" guy and he has his own issues with his father. Jin-Ae is afraid to share a secret with her parents, and Audrey is the more spunky teen with a wilder past.
Each person has their own place they want to visit and the road trip seems like the perfect way to end it all. Their trip has a few unexpected stops and the bond they create along the way gives them a new perspective on what's important. They begin questioning what they really want by the end of the trip.
This is such a sad story and it made me think of the recent increase of bullying behaviors and suicides in teens. I'm sure that many teens today have the same thoughts these characters share. I think that Crash Into Me not only shows their individual paths, but it dives into a deeper level and shows how their thinking wasn't a"spur of the moment" decision. These teens had been through a lot and no one seemed to be able to break the hold their thoughts had on them.
This book doesn't have exact chapters. The story jumps from their past IM conversations to their current experiences on the trip. These flashbacks were very important to the story because they help piece together the puzzle of how they met. Although the story focuses on Owen, we are able to understand the other characters when they open up about their pasts. They are finally able to share something with someone who doesn't simply want to"fix" the problem.
I loved the road trip idea for telling this story and the settings and experiences at each place were very well written. Albert Borris seems to fully represent each person in the best way possible. The only thing I felt I needed was more of an ending. I guess we all want that exact end for a story like this but I also understand why their sometimes can't be one.
Overall, this is a difficult story to read. This subject matter is harsh but critical to the story itself. Crash Into Me takes readers through pain, friendship, love, and acceptance as these teens grow up quickly and learn to understand the importance of life.
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