* Disclaimer: I received this book through Traveling ARC Tours.
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Once again, brought to you by the Idaho Meth Project.
Fallout by Ellen Hopkins is the final book about Kristina and her life after meth. (Click for my reviews of Crank and Glass.) While the first two books follow Kristina and her experiences with 'the monster', Fallout is the story of her three oldest children, Hunter, Autumn and Summer and their unique struggles. Crank and Glass are about the troubles our poor choices bring to our lives. Fallout is about what our poor choices do to those we love. Although there is still a strong anti-drug message to this book, it is no longer about the horror meth brings to your body and mind. It is now about the trauma to your family and friends.
The free-verse poetry is as powerful as even, invoking images and emotions within the reader easily. I've read several authors who use verse to tell their stories, and none of them are as powerful writers as Hopkins. The intensity she writes with with astound you. It is painful, stark, real. This much honest emotion in a story takes my breath away, even as is breaks my heart. None of these children have had an easy time with life and the legacy Kristina has left for them is heartbreak, addiction and destruction. Not very hopeful, is it?
Life is never all about you. There will always be other people hurt or affected by our decisions, and I think it is important to realize this. You are always able to chose your own actions, but you do not get to chose your consequences for yourself or those around you. I once again commend Hopkins for an amazingly powerful story, one that will stay with me for a long time.