Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Published by Puffin
Hardcover (borrowed from library)
YA, contemporary

Melinda Sordino busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't even know hate her from a distance. The safest place to be is alone, inside her own head. But even that's not safe. Because there's something she's trying not to think about, something about the night of the party that, if she let it in, would blow her carefully constructed disguise to smithereens. And then she would have to speak the truth. This extraordinary first novel has captured the imaginations of teenagers and adults across the country.

If I'm right, this is one of those books kids need to read in school (or if it isn't, then it definitely should be). In English speaking countries, at least. I had heard about this one before but somehow always missed it on bookstores or libraries - even if it's apparently translated in Finnish. However, I finally borrowed it from library after I saw it on Booktube and I'm glad I did. I just wish I'd read it sooner but maybe that's not what matters most.

 

Speak is influential and stunning. Subject might not be amazingly original since I've heard and even read a couple of books with same subject. However, Speak is different than those, way different, mostly of how it's written and what it concentrates on. It's about unbearable subject but Anderson shows how talented storyteller she is by making the story differ from others. Unbearable subject doesn't have to mean a story that's hard, even impossible to read, with a same ways of dealing with a tragic that happened. Instead Anderson told a beautiful, sad story about a girl with a dash of hope of better times in the future. Speak is emotional ride, that's for sure, and it really made me cry in a weirdest parts of the story but it also was funny at times. There was funny things Melinda said and also things that I haven't thought before but what Melinda pointed out. It's not usually easy to relate a young high schooler from America but Anderson made it easy. She made me as a reader to feel the same things as Melinda and really understand why Melinda stopped speaking and why she did things she did.

 

I don't want to spoil anything so that's why I'm being very vague about the plot. I was spoiled before starting this and while it didn't ruin my experience, it would have been better not knowing. However, I must say that besides the great emotional and influential storytelling, Speak also has intriguing characters. Melinda for sure but also the supporting characters such as Melinda's parents, art teacher, her previous friends and her new friend. Speak is as much character driven as emotional driven story instead of plot driven - and it's perfect that way. There's a plot, sure, but it's not the main point of the story.

 

Speak is unique, stunning and truly influential story. Everyone should read it, so I recommend it to everyone who hasn't read it yet.

 

5 of 5 stars.

Speak on Goodreads.