Brutal

Author: Micheal Harmon
Recommended Age: Young Adult
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0375840990
Year Published: 2009
No. Pages: 240
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Main Character Gender: Female
Read & Reviewed by: Joyce




“If I'd known I'd be living in Benders Hollow, California, when I was sixteen, I would have traded back every complaint I had about my life for a bus ticket out of this place. No can do, though. I'm stuck here for a year. Then I'll be gone back to Los Angeles, and on my own.”

When sixteen-year-old Poe Holly's doctor mother leaves to go save lives in South America, Poe is dumped at her father's doorstep in the small town of Benders, Hollow. A counselor at the local high school, Benders High, he is a man she has never really known. She misses her friends and Los Angeles but Poe makes a few friends including Theo, the mayor's son and Velveeta, her neighbour. Velveeta is the butt of every prank at Benders High. When the pranks turn deadly, Poe refuses to sit by and do nothing. She decides to put herself in the path of danger and fight for justice. Will she succeed?

I loved Brutal because the main character, Poe is like any teenage girl you might meet. The teenage dialogue in the novel was realistic, it sounded just like how my friends and I speak. I could empathize with Poe because Michael Harmon did more than give us a glimpse of her thoughts and feelings, he created a character you could really get to know so that when the book was finished, I really missed her. I thought it was fascinating that Harmon could write so well from the perspective of a teenage girl that I forgot he was an adult male.

When Poe moves in with her father, they don't know anything about one another. This makes it and awkward situation and a lot of stress is placed on this relationship. Even I felt uncomfortable with the forced conversations and, the awkward silences. Father and daughter try to make-up for lost time but there are bumps and hurdles on the road to repairing their relationship which makes this relationship realistic. Poe is furious that her father abandoned her earlier in her life, leaving her with her mother, a mother who chose her career over her daughter. Eventually, she learns why her father wasn't part of her life and the complexities of her parents' relationship. I think that readers that come from broken homes, will be able to relate to Poe and her relationship with her father. I now have a better understanding of how some of my peers may feel about their relationships with their parents.

Brutal tackles the difficult issues of bullying and shows how bullying can affect someone's life. Velveeta is Poe's neighbor. He is wimpy, skinny, and the joke of the school. Velveeta is bullied both emotionally and physically in and out of school. This changed the very nature of who he is. Now, when he gets hurt, he laughs along to conceal how he really feels. He is highly aware of those around him and is fearful of how he or others may be mistreated. Poe stands up for Velveeta not only to other students, but her teachers and school administrators. Poe is vocal and although flawed, helped me understand that bullying can be detrimental, even if it's teasing.

This book was a quick read; I read it in less than a day. I loved Poe because Harmon didn't create a perfect female character; he created Poe with spunk, sarcasm, and determination. Which I find often rare for a female character. I laughed many times because of Poe's sarcasm. When Poe described someone else it would often be hilarious. For example;

"Mr. Halvorson slapped his hands together like a Little League coach telling his team to take the field, and I expected his to start handing down high fives, but he didn't." (p.178)

I rated Brutal a 12/10, because it is the best book I have read to date. I would recommend this book to young adults. I would also recommend this book to anyone who wants to stand up for others but doesn't know how. Brutal is essentially a guide book to standing up for people who are getting bullied.