The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson (review)

Spending senior year in an actual high school instead of on the road in her dad’s rig wasn’t Hayley’s idea; she’s not thrilled about trying to fit in at school, and she’s deeply worried about leaving her alcoholic, PTSD-ridden father alone while she’s out. School turns out to have its compensations: some good friends, some teacherly recognition of her writing talent despite her undisciplined approach, and appealing, geeky Finn, who’s trying to convince Hayley to write for his projected newspaper—and to go out with him as well. Guarded Hayley gradually falls for Finn, even letting him know the truth about her family, but her anxiety about her father’s downward spiral begins to take over her life. Anderson depicts with lacerating clarity Hayley’s secondhand PTSD, with threat assessment a part of her daily life; Hayley’s lucid yet emotional narration ensures the experience is immersive rather than didactic (the book never actually diagnoses her), so readers will begin to share her defensive reactions and self-protective thinking. Her father is both infuriating and fearfully broken, making Hayley’s blend of frustration and hypervigilance absolutely plausible, while interspersed flashbacks to her father’s wartime experience add a further dimension. Anderson never limits her characters to being merely a type, and the growth of Hayley’s romance with Finn takes its own interesting path; the subplot about her stormy relationship with her father’s ex-girlfriend, essentially a stepmother to Hayley, demonstrates the fragility at the heart of her defenses. The book offers an eloquent portrait of the effects of both war and family legacies, and many readers will find reflections of their own struggle to keep family connections while obtaining their independence.