Review: Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
Source: Hardcover, Published October 12th 2010 by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Verdict: Very Good/Excellent
Book Description:
Vera’s spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she’s kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.
So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to?
Edgy and gripping, Please Ignore Vera Dietz is an unforgettable novel: smart, funny, dramatic, and always surprising.
Please Ignore Vera Dietz is a tremendous read; one that will stay with you long after finishing it. King’s book is unflinching, uncomfortable, and so wonderfully written. The main character, Vera Dietz, is struggling to come to terms with the death of her best friend and next door neighbor, Charlie. However, circumstances surrounding his death, his life, and the last months of their broken friendship are haunting Vera.
As the book steamrolls ahead, revelations are made, and your heart starts to break, little by little. There were moments in the book where I just had to pause. To absorb. The character of Vera, always told to ignore things, to try to make herself invisible, can no longer do so, and the more she struggles to remain a shadow, the more difficulty she has dealing with reality.
With alternating “notes” from various characters- including one inanimate object- this is a story that genuinely grips, and draws you in more and more as the story around Charlie’s death and the history of his friendship with Vera unfolds, chapter by chapter.
Note: This review, written by me, originally appeared on my old site Fabbity Fab Book Reviews. Minor edits may have been made.
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