Willow by Julia Hoban

Willow by Julia Hoban

Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Dial Tags: Cutting, Romance, Grief, Family

Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen year- old Willow’s parents died in a horrible car accident. Willow was driving. Now her older brother barely speaks to her, her new classmates know her as the killer orphan girl, and Willow is blocking the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when one boy —one sensitive, soulful boy—discovers Willow’s secret, it sparks an intense relationship that turns the “safe” world Willow has created for herself upside down.

Told in an extraordinary fresh voice, Willow is an unforgettable novel about one girl’s struggle to cope with tragedy, and one boy’s refusal to give up on her.

Review

WOW! This was the first word that slid from my mouth after I finished reading Willow. And it’s taken me time to write this review ‘cause I didn’t really know how to express how I felt while reading it.

This book is powerful; cutting is a sad topic, as well as grief and solitude, so you would expect a depressing story, but the author added a sweet romance to the mix. The result? An amazing story that touches a very serious and doleful issue but that instead of making the reader feel sorrowful it makes him/her hopeful. HOPE. I think this four letters sum up pretty well the main message of this book (at least this is what I felt).

Writing the story in third person from Willow’s point of view was a very wise idea. This way we get to see that chain of sad memories and thoughts in Willow’s mind and what leads her to cutting.

I liked the romance as well. Specially Guy because he isn’t the kind of boy that confesses his love and comforts the girl, no. Guy is determined to stop Willow from cutting herself even if it means having big arguments with her or even losing her.

Also, the design of the book is cool. I like how with the title of every chapter appear some cut marks, and evrery chapter you read is a line that disappears till there are no more.

Willow is a wonderful book, and even if you don't like this kind of stories you will enjoy it.