Review Detail

Splintering is told in series of 1-2
page poems. It's a story about family and the aftermath of what some
may describe as a tragedy. The poems alternate from Paulie, the 15 year
old daughter/sister, and Jeremy, the high school senior son/brother.
The book is a very quick read at 184 pages, but the message is so
intense and raw that it cannot be ignored.

I found this book to be tragically
moving and rooted so deeply within the psyche of these teens that I was
enthralled with it. Corrigan presents the story through poems and it
works really well. Paulie and Jeremy get to tell their sides of the
story and their feelings are shown in clipped vignettes that somehow
get under the readers skin. The book hit me really hard and even
though Ive never gone through what these teens go through, I could
still easily relate. Fundamentally, it is a story about family and the
love [or lack of love in some places] of a family. This isn't for the
faint of heart though. There are drugs and there's some sexual content,
but it's all realistic. Splintering is hard-hitting for a reason and the drama, conflict, emotional isolation, and pain make it an unforgettable story.

In my opinion, this is a must read.