Tolog Review: Twisted

Twisted
by Laurie Halse Anderson
reviewed by Lauren Yeh 

“Everybody told me to be a man. Nobody told me how.” Laurie Halse Anderson’s novel Twisted, is about a boy’s search for his identity, and his journey from a boy to a man. Tyler Miller, an average student in high school, was a nobody that no one really knew or cared about. That all changed when he committed the “Foul Deed” his junior year, resulting in probation as well as spending the entire summer doing outdoors labor. When school started, his new physique and reputation drew everyone’s attention, especially his crush, Bethany Millsbury, the most popular girl in school. Things were looking great for him, until he attended a party and found himself in a situation that involved the police and possibly jail for a crime that he didn’t commit. The pressure of school, the aggression and bullying of the students, as well as his verbally abusive father, leads him to holding a locked and loaded gun in his hand, ready to be fired. 

I loved this novel because of its relativity to teenagers. Teenagers typically struggle with family, school, relationships, and labels. We are all searching for our identity and our place in this world. Sometimes, we question the things in our lives, and their purposes. These were the challenges that Tyler also faced. 

Anderson did an amazing job in creating a character that many teenagers can relate to, as well as executing the insights of a teenager’s mind. She was able to capture the essence of the male point of view, and it was very realistic. The contrast of Tyler’s dark, violent, suicidal side and his sarcastic humor kept a good balance in the book as well. Through Tyler overcoming his obstacles, Anderson expresses the importance of picking yourself back up when you fall, and the choices we make in our lives can define who we are. Overall, I enjoyed this novel very much. It was honest, sad, funny, and inspiring. If you’ve read Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, you will definitely enjoy this book.