What would you do if you woke up in a hospital and had no idea how you ended up there? What would you do if not only was the accident that lead you to the was hospital gone from your memory, but a whole chunk-several weeks? To make things even worse, you also found out that your best friend was in the accident with you, died, and the blame and harsh accusations were being thrown at you--all over the news and internet.
With Malice by Eileen Cook was a gripping novel that had a great mix of drama, mystery and suspense. Throughout the whole book, I wanted to know what was going to happen. My interest never lost, but my patience beginning to run thin. This book had so many interesting twists and turns that had me constantly trying to guess the ending--which, by the way, came as a surprise to me no matter how many times I conjured up my own theories. This book was narrated in mostly first person, my favorite, which made the story even more engaging. I could imagine being in Jill's place and was able to feel her confusion, frustration, sadness and anger. From having to deal with her injuries sustained from the accident, being questioned harshly by the press, seeing her family struggle because of all of it, losing her best friend, becoming a subject of the news so infamous and seeing everybody's opinion of her and what happened everywhere, it was a lot to deal with. Jill not only narrated her thoughts in the hospital and what she went through with the people there, but read the comments people were making, described the news reports, and described other aspects of her life. Multiple transcripts of interviews between people and investigators were included. I feel like this book included everything a book could possibly have with this type of plot. Everything that could lead readers to become more curious, form their own opinions and grow eager to find out the truth was thrown in. The readers are sure to be on the edge of their seats to learn about what happens to Jill and if the death of her best friend was really her fault.
If you want check out this book and find out for yourself, here is an amazon link!
https://www.amazon.com/Malice-Eileen-Cook-ebook/dp/B01ALOCSFE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492130394&sr=8-1&keywords=with+malice+eileen+cook
If you want to learn more about the author, here's a link for that, too!
http://www.eileencook.com/
It sounds like an interesting book to read, its makes want to know what happen in the accident. I think many young adult readers will enjoy a book like this because there is mystery, frustration and deep sadness. Its really a roller coasters of emotions as you describe it.
ReplyDeleteHello Maxine,
ReplyDeleteYou definitely sparked my interest with your questions and now I’m interested to see if Jill is to blame for her best friend’s death. I have all these scenarios running through my head and I haven’t even read the book yet! I’m sure this novel can be relatable for teens due to the main character’s mixed emotions and the misunderstandings she’s going through. Based on your review I’m not sure if I would teach this in a class, but it’s possible especially because of the different use of texts within the book. It reminded me of a novel that Margret Atwood did called The Blind Assassin and does something similar by incorporating the main story, news reports, and a story within a story in alternating chapters.
I liked how you incorporated a link to instantly buy the book and the author’s website.
I’m wondering how her other novels are and if they incorporate a wide range of articles like how With Malice did.