LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
From the author of Black Heart Blue and Gloves Off - both LoveReading favourites - Wrecked is a breathtakingly affecting novel-in-verse that sees teenager Joe stand trial for causing a fatal car crash. Exploring thought-provoking themes around toxic relationships, self-preservation, truth and betrayal in an ultra-accessible, engagingly authentic style, this comes highly recommended for reluctant readers.
Framed within the context of Joe’s excruciatingly tense trial at which he pleads not guilty to a charge of causing death by reckless driving, his narrative slips back and forth through key moments in his life, most crucially how he got together with Imogen, his girlfriend of many years, who was with him when the crash happened. When the police arrived at the scene, Joe was said to be the driver.
“The truth is in hiding, it’s scared, it’s weak/ You see, I’ve been waiting so long for my chance to speak” - so goes Joe’s internal monologue before we hear evidence that tears his character apart. But someone is lying and, little by little, we learn more about Imogen, how she “lifted my shell and prodded deep underneath at flesh unprotected, she bit with sharp teeth - she stole chunks of my certainty.” Alongside the unfolding of past events and the present-day trial, additional devastation is unravelling in Joe’s family.
Wrecked is an exceptional addition to the canon of contemporary novels-in-verse for young adult readers (see also Punching the Air, The Poet X, Clap When You Land, Rebound, Black Flamingo, Gut Feelings and the work of Sarah Crossan), and mention must be made of the book’s layout too – words and letters stutter, tumble, slip and fall across and along the pages, stirringly reverberating Joe’s state of mind.
We explore the powerful themes in Wrecked with Louisa Reid in a Q&A.
Joanne Owen
Find This Book In
| Suitable For: |
|
| Other Genres: |
|
| Recommendations: |
|
About
Wrecked Synopsis
When Joe and Imogen are involved in a fatal accident, their relationship comes under scrutiny as a judge and jury, and the reader, must make a decision about who is culpable
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781913101374 |
| Publication date: |
3rd September 2020 |
| Author: |
Louisa Reid |
| Publisher: |
Guppy Books an imprint of Guppy Publishing Ltd |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Suitable For: |
|
| Other Genres: |
|
| Recommendations: |
|
Press Reviews
Louisa Reid Press Reviews
'A profoundly moving story about truth and love' - Jenny Downham
'You'll be hard pressed to find a better verse, or YA novel doing the rounds. At times it read like a thriller, a tale of first/romantic love and loss; it is beautifully brutal as it is heartfelt and devastating ... the book evokes that sense of excitement, awkwardness and heartache of first love.' - Brian Conaghan
'The novel explores emotional abuse in relationships, but where the young man is the victim – a story rarely told. This is a tense and pacey read, and like Joe, the reader is swept along in the speed of the story and struggles to fully compute the magnitude of Joe’s experience.' - Hannah Sycamore, The Scotsman
'After reading Wrecked, I am the title. Ate it up in one gulp because I couldn't look away. Tragic, compelling, real, and beautifully written.' - Teri Terry
Author
About Louisa Reid
Louisa Reid is the author of the YA verse novels Gloves Off, nominated for the Carnegie Medal, and Wrecked, which was selected for both the Read for Empathy collection and National Poetry Day. Her debut adult novel, The Poet, was published this year by Doubleday to critical acclaim.
Louisa Reid has spent most of her life reading. When Louisa’s not reading she’s writing stories, or imagining writing them at least. As an English teacher, her favourite part of the job is sharing her love of reading and writing with her pupils. Louisa lives with her family in the north-west of England and is proud to call a place near Manchester home.
More About Louisa Reid
