Review Detail

“Wow. Just wow.” That’s all I could think when I put down Michael Hassan’s “Crash and Burn.” It’s one of those books that I’m still digesting, even now, but in the best possible way.

“Crash and Burn” follows recent high school grad, Steven Crashinsky, as he’s tasked to write a book recounting how he stopped a school shooter from killing his classmates. Steven – or Crash, as his friends call him – simultaneously loves the fame his heroism earned him, yet worries his ADHD and stoner lifestyle will prevent him from writing a book that will live up to the expectations of his new fans. What follows is a sort of freestyle journal, alternating between Crash’s present and his past with David Burnett (Burn), the school shooter whose life was intricately wrapped up with Crash’s.

What I loved most about this book was that I’ve never met a protagonist like Crash. A good chunk of the time I found myself completely loathing him. A lot of Crash’s life consists of being a cocky, womanizing, stoner loser, and that’s just a lifestyle I can’t respect. But what makes you like and relate to Crash are his moments of vulnerability. Despite his attempts to hit it and quit it and become the ultimate playa by hooking up with as many girls as he can, Crash falls in love. It’s his reflecting on how he fell in love that allows Crash to not only discover his priorities, but to save his school. Hassan doesn’t make Crash’s priorities completely straight-and-narrow, but rather leaves a character who’s extremely realistic in that he has strengths you love yet weaknesses you can’t stand.

This intricate and captivating mix of good and bad is again present in Burn. By no means do you put down the book supporting psychotic plans to kill classmates. You can, however, see how the cards were stacked against Burn all along. There are numerous times when you feel for Burn as he experiences hardship after hardship. Two majors events that only scratch the surface of these difficulties are Burn’s diagnosis of bipolar disorder and his father’s death in 9/11. Knowing from the get-go that Burn stages a school shooting later in life makes you want to reach into the book, pull Burn out, and give him the healthy attention he’s dangerously crying out for.

The best part about Hassan’s world is that you find yourself rooting for and hating both the hero and the villain. These complicated and compelling characters’ lives weave together in unexpected ways, leaving you in open-mouthed awe as the story ends. “Crash and Burn” does anything but.