Bang by Barry Lyga

bangI wasn’t really sure what to expect when I started reading this one, and it hit me like a punch to the gut basically on page one. Sebastian Cody accidentally killed his baby sister when he was four-years-old. He hasn’t been able to live with himself since. The accident tore apart his family and left him racked with guilt over something he can’t even remember. Because of his, he knows that one day (he’s not sure when) he’s going to end his own life. It’s the only way he knows how to atone for his crime. In his mind, every single day he’s alive is just borrowed time. That is, until he meets Aneesa and everything starts to change.

Look, guys, I’m just going to be honest with you. This book will blur your vision. And by blur your vision  I mean it will make you ugly cry through the last third of it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I will also tell you that Bang is totally and completely worth the tears. You will DEVOUR this book. I finished it practically in one sitting, because I had to know what was going to happen to Sebastian. I really cared about him and thought that it was insane of him to want to kill himself over something that he did when he was just a toddler who didn’t know any better. I mean, it’s not like he’s a horrible person who purposefully murdered someone. He was FOUR. I got so mad at him while he was calmly and nonchalantly planning out his suicide attempt.

I want desperately to talk about the ending, but I can’t without giving things away, so after you read this message me and we’ll talk, mmmkay? Let’s just say the ending is NOT what I expected. There are some major twists coming, and you might need a seatbelt just to hold on.

What I can say without spoiling things is that this book features food prominently, which you know makes me as happy as apple pie (See what I did there?). The descriptions of gourmet pizza had me drooling and ordering pizza pretty much immediately. Because, honestly, pizza? Who can resist ooey gooey pizza??? Not this girl, that’s for sure.

All in all I thought that this book was magnificent. The message is incredible and the voice is unique, plus there is such a fun premise involved with Annesa and Sebastian’s YouTube venture. (Yes, I did just say that a tearjerker novel has a “fun” premise. No, I am not sorry.) It’s an odd book, but one I think we all need to read and discuss immediately. It’s just that good.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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