Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
reviewed by Darcy Michero
A lot of teens think that if they have the perfect body, all their troubles will go away and life will be wonderful. This notion is shot down in Laurie Halse Anderson’s novel, Twisted. Tired of being a nerdy nobody, Tyler Miller, committed a “Foul Deed” during his junior year of high school and is on probation. He spent the summer doing physical labor as a part of his community service and has the muscles to show for it. Tyler has caught the attention of Bethany Milbury, the popular “queen bee” of the school, with his rebellious reputation. Unfortunately, his looks do nothing to improve his relationship with Bethany’s twin brother, Chip, who has bullied Tyler for years.
When Bethany invites Tyler to a party, he is ecstatic. But after a terrible incident happens there, the police come looking for him, and Tyler learns that he is the prime suspect. Even though Tyler has done all the right thing after the “Foul Deed” it continues to haunt him. The unforgiving principle banished him from his classmates, Chip’s crew beat him up, and his controlling father threatens him with military school. Tyler is at rock-bottom when he goes looking for his father’s gun. What will he do with it?
Twisted is a coming of age story that is both funny and sad. Laurie Halse Anderson reveals Tyler’s inner thoughts to the readers, which are sometimes humorous like when his hormones are roaring, and sometimes scary like when he has suicidal thoughts. Though some of the characters are stereotypes, others like Tyler’s sassy and supportive sister, Hannah, are refreshing. I think that many teenagers can related to Tyler’s struggle with the high school life and will love a glimpse inside his head. Overall, I really enjoyed reading about Tyler’s journey to maturity and manhood.
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