LSSL book blogging 5385 THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS

Nijkamp, M. (2016). This is where it ends:. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Fire.

This Is Where It Ends is the story of a school shooting, and it's told from four different points of view during the tragedy that ensues at Opportunity High School. After the principal welcomes the student body to a new semester, the students begin to exit the auditorium and continue on with their normal day. But the doors won't open, and someone starts to shoot, and for the next 54 minutes, gripping, tragic horror ensues. It's our worst nightmare- that one of our own could turn on us the way this shooter has.

The four different viewpoints are told both from the present and the past, flashing back to possible motives and linking each character to the shooter. As you would expect, it's terrifying and horrific to read about. Some of the deaths are very graphically told, and the violence is pretty non-stop from beginning to end.

I'm not sure how I feel about this novel. It was hard at first to keep track of the viewpoints and I never had time to get attached to the characters. That didn't make the death or subject matter any less heartbreaking, it just left me less invested in the "meat" of the story. I think that a story about a school shooting has so much potential for impact, and such an opportunity to honor victims of school shootings by telling a story that mirrors their emotions, heartache, and gives light to the twisted psychosis of someone who turns a gun on innocent people. For me, I couldn't help but feel that this book took a very serious and tragic subject matter and turned it into a best selling book without really honoring the authenticity of those who have been through this. I don't know how to verbalize what I was feeling as I read this, but it was a hard read and I'm not sure if it did what I was hoping it would do. It just... didn't sit well with me. It didn't seem authentic, it seemed forced. This was a heavy read for young adults, and probably not the best classroom read, in my opinion.

I would recommend 19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult if the deep, emotional subject of school shootings intrigues you, but perhaps you would like a more well-developed story and characters.